Sleeping With The Enemy
by mylittlelifedoesntcountatall
Summary: The two gangs in Chicago are sworn rivals, and their leaders, Phil and Matt, are always at each other's throats. Then one night, someone takes it too far, and Phil's brother, John gets killed. What happens when Phil decides to kidnap Matt's sister, Aj, in revenge? Warning: contains language, violence and possible character death.
1. Chapter 1

**First, I just need to say, this story is inspired by _The Enemy_, by thatstarryeye. It's a Randy/Kelly fic, and even though I don't ship them, it's an amazing story. I will of course not follow the plot of hers, but the general idea I got from that.**

**You don't meet all the characters in this chapter, but there are two major gangs, Phil's and Matt's:**

**Phil's**

Phil  
Seth  
Dean  
Roman  
Layla  
Michelle  
Mike  
Maryse

**Matt's**

Matt  
Jeff  
Mickie  
Randy  
Kelly  
Brie  
Nikki  
Big Show

**And also, Phil and Seth are brothers, and their brother who died is John Morrison, not John Cena. Matt, Jeff and Aj are siblings as well, as are Brie and Nikki.**

**The first chapter is just a general introduction, so anyway here it is!**

**Please tell me what you think.**

**Ciara x**

* * *

Aj was making her way home from her best friend, Kaitlyn's flat. She had told Kaitlyn she'd had a good time, but in all honesty, she had spent every second glancing at the clock, waiting until it was late enough that she could use the excuse 'Matt and Jeff want me back early'. It wasn't a lie, and Kaitlyn knew well that Aj's brothers were incredibly protective of her, especially since their parents had died.

It probably would've been fun if had just been her and Kaitlyn, but Kaitlyn's boyfriend, Derrick Bateman, was there and Kaitlyn had invited his friend, Daniel Bryan, over in the hope that Aj would take a liking to him. Which she hadn't. It wasn't that he was horrible or anything- in fact he was a complete sweetheart- but the guys Kaitlyn tried to set her up with were always completely and utterly boring.

She sighed, as she turned a corner. She missed the old days, when it had just been her and Kaitlyn, and when Kaitlyn wasn't so obsessed with boys. It was funny, because when they were in high school, the two of them had always made fun of the girls who spent all their time thinking about boys, and now look at Kaitlyn.

She checked the time on her phone. 22:37. Matt and Jeff would be pissed with her. They were annoyingly protective the whole time, for no reason at all other than the fact they didn't want her to have any fun. It was unfair. The two of them had both been wild during their teenage years and mid-twenties, but now that she was twenty-three, suddenly it became a law that anything even mildly fun was banned.

Matt was twenty-nine, and Jeff was twenty-six, but the three of them all lived together in a medium-sized two-bedroom flat. Being the only girl, she had her own bedroom, and Matt and Jeff shared the other one. Jeff was hardly ever home anymore though; he spent nearly every second of his time at his girlfriend, Mickie's house. Aj liked Mickie, she was funny and kind, and, unlike Jeff and Matt, didn't treat Aj like a ten-year old.

So caught up in her own thoughts she was, she didn't even hear the quiet purr of the van engine as it pulled up next to her. She didn't hear the doors open, and the three men climb out. She was only aware of the people for about three seconds before a cloth was placed over her nose and mouth, and everything went dark.

* * *

"This is fucked up," Aj woke up to find herself trapped in the back of a van, strapped down to the floor. "Since when do we go around kidnapping random girls?"

"Roman's right," another voice said. "I know he's your brother, Seth, but what the fuck was he thinking? How does he even know this is the right girl?"

"He just does, okay," a third voice, (Seth?) said. "He's just, he's not the same since, you know, John,"

"'Spose you're right," the second voice said. "But still, next time he wants someone kidnapped, he can do it himself. We're not his lackies,"

"And yet, here you are, Dean, driving the van," Seth said, and Aj, despite it being pitch black, could tell he was smiling.

The other two, Dean and Roman, was it?, laughed for a second, and then they all became eerily silent. All Aj could hear was the purr of the engine and the beating of her own heart. It was then, she realised the seriousness of the situation. Maybe it was the drugs they gave her wearing off or maybe she just wasn't thinking straight, but it wasn't till then she realised what was happening.

She was being kidnapped.

She would've screamed if her mouth hadn't been taped shut. What were they going to so with her anyway? Rape her? Sell her as a sex slave? The possibilities flooded over her and for possibly the first time in her life, she knew what it was like to feel genuinely terrified. Suddenly she had the urge to cry, but she held back her tears. She hadn't cried since she was sixteen, when her mom and dad had died, and she wasn't going to start now.

She tried to calm down, and listen to what the other three were saying, but they were too quiet, and all she could make out was murmurs. She tried to remember the way they were turning, in case she got the chance to make a run for it, but it was no use. Even if she could currently tell left from right, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. She'd been out too long to figure out where they were going.

And what did they mean before when they said 'the right girl'? What would happen when they found out they had made a mistake? Thanks to Jeff and Matt, she had no social life, and hardly anyone even knew she existed. She was obviously not 'the right girl'. Maybe they'd let her go when they realised, but they probably wouldn't. Too much chance she'd say something. They'd probably just kill her on the spot.

She had gained a headache from something, whether it was the occasional banging of her head when the van went over a bump or maybe her overthinking, she didn't know, but whatever it was, she had a killer headache, and eventually just went back to sleep.

* * *

Matt Hardy paced up and down his living room, the worry evident in his face. Aj still hadn't returned from earlier, and it was now half two. He had tried calling her, but it had just gone straight to voicemail every time. He only stopped calling when he ran out of credit.

He had rang Jeff as well, but he hadn't picked up either. He ran his hands through his hair. What was the point of having a phone if you weren't going to ever pick up? Times like this, he wished Lita was still here. She had always being able to calm him down, to help him think straight, but he knew only had himself to blame for losing her. He kicked the coffee table. Why did he always fuck everything up? First mom and dad, then Lita, and now Aj.

He sighed loudly. Where the fuck was Aj? It wasn't like her to stay out late, especially without saying something. He tried to think positive, maybe she had just fallen asleep at Kaitlyn's, but somehow he knew that wasn't the case. The universe would never be that kind, not to him.

Fuck, maybe this was all his fault. He did have a lot of enemies after all. But still, Aj knew absolutely nothing about the gang, or the fights, or anything that was going on. The only people she even knew from the gang were himself, Jeff, Mickie, Randy and Kelly, but they had all made sure never to let anything slip. He would've murdered them if they did.

And then the horrible idea came, and it wouldn't leave him alone. What've Phil had her? He wouldn't just kill her, he wouldn't be that kind. No, he'd like to prolong everyone's suffering, like the sick sadistic bastard he was. He kicked the table again, and cursed loudly. Maybe he should call the police. But he couldn't. He was guilty of a lot of crimes, and it wasn't just himself he'd get in trouble. The rest of them would all be fucked as well. And anyway, he cops would do shit. They wouldn't be able to figure out, they were all as dumb as bricks.

No, he wouldn't call the cops. It would be better that way. And he could do a lot better himself, and he knew it. He knew Phil inside out, he'd figured out how that sick head of his had worked, he'd find Aj. He had to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is Chapter Two! Not 100% happy with this chapter, especially the start, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting. Just so you know, the guy at the beginning of this chapter who I don't name is Dean, but you'll probably figure that out anyway. I couldn't use his name, because Aj didn't knew it yet, and while it's not told from her point of view, that bit was mainly her thoughts and stuff. It was really annoying not using his name, and I nearly did like a hundred times so if I did, I apologise.  
**

**So anyway, my PMs won't work for some reason, so in response to your reviews:**

**Cmpunkfan980: can't promise anything I'm afraid, and thank you.**

**Guest: thank you.**

**salvatoreannabeth: I might later on, but for now it's T. And by the way, making only has one 'a'.**

**laura-wrestling-princessx: thank you so much, it means a lot to me.**

**Mya: thank you, here's an update.**

**Guest: thanks so much, ily.**

**Guest: I have written more, I'm glad you enjoy it.**

**Maashmellow: you get to see a bit of what happens to Aj.**

**MegChambersLt: thank you so much, here is the *newest chapter.**

**Guest: thank you, and I hope the wait wasn't too long.**

**And thank you all for reviewing, ten reviews after one chapter! Woooooo! Here is chapter two! Tell me what you think of it.**

**Ciara x**

* * *

Aj was woken up around half an hour later by a rough shaking of her shoulders. She glanced up to see a guy with long half black, half blonde hair. "Fuck, you finally woke up," he said with the traces of a smile, and she was taken aback. Had he not just kidnapped her? He had fucking kidnapped her and now he was smiling at her?

"Well, come on," he said, and jumped out the back of the van. Aj followed slowly, but her brain was whirring faster than ever. Maybe she could make a run for it. After all, he didn't seem too set on making sure she didn't. She was fast, she could make it. Maybe this was her last hope. But what if she didn't make it? They'd punish her for trying.

"Don't try anything," she looked up to see a sandy brown haired guy looking back at her. "Seth here's the fastest runner I've ever seen, he'll catch you," he said, gesturing to the guy with the two-toned hair, who now had a name. Seth half-smiled at her, but she refused to relax. If she saw a chance to run, she'd take it, no matter how fast Seth was. They'd never seen her run before anyway.

The three of them walked on along the pavement, Aj trailing behind Seth and the other guy, and between worrying for her life and searching desperately for a chance to escape, she kind of wondered where the other guy had gone. She was sure she'd heard three voices in the van. She looked around, trying to find some familiar territory, somewhere she recognised, but it was pitch black. No street lamps or anything. Aj wondered how the others could even see where they were going.

Abandoned building after abandoned building, that was all she could see. No signs of life anywhere. She shivered, more out of fear than cold, even though she only had on a light jumper, and it was coming into winter. She glanced around, and for a second she thought 'this would be a great place to get mugged' before she remembered the circumstances. Getting mugged was the least of her worries.

After about five minutes of walking, the other two turned into what looked like an old block of flats, exactly like all the others, and she wondered how they had managed to distinguish it from any of the others. They climbed the staircase- she assumed the elevator no longer worked- and they didn't even glance back at her. She could've disappeared and they wouldn't have noticed, but something, perhaps fear, kept her climbing up the stairs behind them.

Sort of like a deer caught in the headlights, fear had paralysed her, but in a completely different way. She had to keep moving and moving, for if she stopped she'd get killed. Without warning, the two left the stairwell, and Aj followed behind. They pushed open the first door on the left, which was, to Aj's surprise, unlocked.

Seth flicked the light switch, while the other guy pulled the black-out blind down tight, completely blocking out the single window. Aj looked around, and she was surprised at how nice and modern everything was. It was completely furnished, with a kitchenette, a little living room area, and even a TV. There were three doors leading off the room, which she assumed led to bedrooms or bathrooms.

"Your bedroom's in there," Seth said, gesturing to the door on the right. "It has an en-suite bathroom. Don't leave," he said, which such casualness in his voice that Aj couldn't help but think 'they've done this before,'.

She went into the room, and was shocked at how small and bare it was. Apart from a single bed wedged in between the two walls, there was no furniture, and the door to the bathroom was blocked off because of the bed. Aj heard the low blur of the TV from outside. What had she done to deserve this?

She collapsed on the bed, and cried for the first time in seven years.

* * *

Roman Reigns lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. There was a hot blonde, Tiffany or something, sleeping next to him, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't stop thinking about the girl today, how helpless she looked, how harmless. He couldn't help but remember how when Seth had asked why they had to take her, Phil had simply responded 'She's their sister.'

Times like this, he wondered if he was really cut out for this stuff. He could almost guarantee that the rest of the gang didn't stay up at night feeling guilty for the stuff they had done. It was like the rest of them had no conscience. It was funny, really, because when he was little, he'd always wanted to be a policeman, to stop murderers and kidnappers, and here he was now, doing the exact opposite.

How had he ended up like this? His mother had always said to him 'don't fall in with the wrong crowd', but he'd been best friends with Dean and Seth when they started doing their first petty crimes, and he couldn't just leave them. Besides, it was fine. They were stealing cheap stuff, vandalising bus stations, nothing serious.

And then Seth had turned eighteen, and he joined his brothers' gang.

Dean, who was already eighteen, joined up soon after, and Roman had decided he would too. He didn't think it would be this serious. It was different for the others, it was in Seth's blood, both his brothers were already in the gang, and he knew his whole life he'd join as soon as they'd let him, which was when he turned eighteen. And Dean, well, Dean was a natural. He liked hurting people, he got enjoyment from beating them up. Once, in the middle of a fight, Dean had turned to Roman, his eyes huge and lit up, and whispered 'this is my drug'.

But Roman, he had been taught his whole life the difference between wrong and right. And he always felt it deep down, no matter how hard he tried to bury it, that he was doing wrong. He hadn't minded as much before, when they'd been fighting and stealing but nothing more, but ever since John had died, things had changed. Seth had broken down, whilst Phil had hardened up, and now both were willing to kill. Dean was as well, and even though Mike had said 'I'm not getting myself mixed up with that shit', he hadn't seemed too opposed to the others killing.

Layla had already killed, by accident to be fair, but still, she'd taken a man's life. And it was nearly impossible, she'd told him once, to live with the guilt. It eats away inside of you, she said. Not that she'd ever show anyone that. She trusted Roman, but she would never say that to Seth or Dean, and definitely not to Phil. She was always desperate to prove she belonged, and she feared showing she felt guilty would damage her reputation.

Michelle and Maryse, he wasn't too sure about. Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. He'd have to see when the time came. And that time was sure as shit coming faster than he would've liked.

He fell asleep with the image of Aj's unconscious body in his mind.

* * *

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Jeff was on the couch in their living room, his head buried in his hands. He couldn't stop thinking about Aj; why the fuck had they let her go out by herself at night? This was all their fault, they should have told Aj about the gang and all that shit, and then she'd understand the danger she was in. Maybe then she would've been more careful.

Mickie rubbed his shoulders. "Don't worry, we'll find her," she said softly, but everyone in the room knew she was thinking the exact opposite. They all were.

"So, you think Phil took her?" Kelly asked from where she was sitting on the floor next to her fiancé, Randy.

"Yeah," Matt sighed. "I mean, who else would've? I got a lot of enemies, but none of them are that fucking sick and twisted. Only him," he ran a hand through his hair. "I got a phone call to make," he said, and quickly disappeared out of the room.

"We've gotta go too, actually," Mickie and Kelly stood up. Mickie gave Jeff a long kiss, before speaking again. "We'll find her, don't worry," she said, before the two of them left.

"She's right, you know," Randy said, as he stood up and headed to the kitchen. "Matt's the most determined son of a bitch I've ever met, he'll find her," Jeff just sighed in response. Randy came back in to the room with several bottles on his hand.

"But, right now, mate, let's drink our sorrows away,"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three! You finally get to meet Phil here, and a tiny tiny bit of interaction with Aj at the very end. Again, I like to reply to reviews, and currently my PMs aren't working so here are the replies:  
**

**Venia Stark: Thank you so much. You have no idea how much that means to me. I love when people review, full stop, but when someone puts thought into a review it actually makes my day. Ily.**

**LeCrazz: Thanks a lot (I know that sounds sarcastic, but im being genuine), I'm really glad you like the story, and shoutout to you for having awesome shipping taste!**

**CloveHGRue: here is a new chapter, with 'more from wherever Aj is'! I'm glad you like the story.**

**jcott3: Fucking preach that! Every time I see a story like that I actually want to get sick. I hate OCs so much, it's just girls' ways of getting to be with their favourite wrestlers, but all the stories are the exact same. More often than not the girl's in an abusive relationship, and the boy comes and saves her. Not an awful idea at first, but I've seen it so many times now, it just annoys the fuck out of me. Thank you so much as well, and by any chance do you remember the name of that story, I'd love to read it.**

**Guest: thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoy reading this.**

**Guest: thanks a million, I'm so happy you like this story. Punk is introduced here, and you kind of get an Aj/Punk interaction, but not really. There's a lot more of that to come in the next chapters.**

**MegChambersLt: you're actually amazing, I love you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story, and it means so much to me that you reviewed. Not really an Aj/Punk confrontation here, but kind of. Not gonna say anymore or I'll spoil it, so read the chapter. Hope you like it.**

**I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but every time I tried to rewrite it it just got worse, so bear with me for now! I have good plans for the rest of this, so hopefully it will improve! And I wanted to update, because I personally find if people don't update in a while I lose interest in the story and forget what's happened.**

**Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited & reviewed! You all make me smile just thinking about it! Tell me what you think of this chapter, and if you've any advice for the story, I'd love to hear it!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

Phil Brooks raced up the stairs of his apartment block. He had parked two blocks away- it would be too suspicious to park right outside- and, though he would never admit it to anyone, all the empty buildings in the pitch black had really freaked him out. It was different when you were with people, but when you were by yourself, it was beyond creepy.

He tried to push open the door to his apartment, but it was locked. He cursed under his breath. He could never find the right door. He tried a few more, but he was still unsuccessful. Fuck, how could Seth always remember which one it was? He went back to the staircase and climbed up another flight. To his relief, the first door he tried open. They didn't have a key to it, so they never locked the door.

He smiled slightly as he saw Seth and Dean asleep on the couch, the TV still on. Seth hardly ever got any sleep since- well, you know, and Dean, he was a good kid. He switched off the TV, and his smile evaporated.

"Seth, wake the fuck up," he said, and hit his brother hard in the chest.

"Phil, what the fuck?" Seth said, as he groggily sat up, which woke up Dean, who had been lying on him.

"Where is she?" Phil demanded.

"Where is who?" Seth said back.

"The girl- where the fuck is she? Did you even get her?"

"Of course we got her," Seth said. "She's in the room."

"Chances are she's escaped by now, with the two of you falling asleep," Phil sighed. "She could've walked out the fucking front door!"

Dean spoke for the first time. "Don't worry, she's scared shitless, she's not going anywhere,"

Seth smiled as he stood up. "Dean's right. She's confused as fuck as well. No clue what's going on," He cracked open the door to Aj's room. "She's asleep," he said, closing the door and walking back over to the couch. "Told you she wouldn't escape,"

"Well, I'm going to bed," Phil said, walking towards his room. "Ambrose, you staying over?"

Dean shrugged. "Might as well,"

"You two don't stay up too late." Phil said, as he reached his door. "And don't be too loud," he smirked as he ducked into his room.

Seth's cushion hit the doorframe, missing Phil by inches.

* * *

Jeff woke up in his room, the stale stench of beer coming from his mouth. And for a couple of seconds, everything was okay. Wars weren't being fought, and cancer was forgotten. Poverty didn't exist, and rape was a thing of the past. And then the reality hit, ruined his life, and he remembered. Aj.

Fuck's sake, how had she gone? They'd always been so careful, so fucking careful, and now she was gone. He would've cried if he was able, but no tears would come. He couldn't even cry properly. It was so unfair. There was only one thing in this world he was sure he loved, and that was Aj. And then, because apparently the universe fucking hated him, she'd been taken away.

He sat up, brushed his long multi-coloured hair out of his face. He spotted a half-empty bottle of beer on his bedside table, and downed it in one. He thought people said drinking was supposed to take the pain away, but it wasn't working. The pain was still there, and it wouldn't go away. Maybe he just wasn't drinking enough.

He sighed, and pulled himself out of the bed. He groggily got to his feet, swaying slightly. He had a slight headache, but it wasn't that bad. Not yet. He was still drunk. He splashed the cold water on his face, and looked in the mirror. He was a mess. He needed to shave badly, but he didn't trust himself with a razor. It appeared Matt didn't either, as his razor was nowhere in sight.

He ran his hand through his hair, and walked out into the living room area of their flat. "Morning," Matt said, and Jeff couldn't help but think how accurate it was that he left out the good. He didn't bother to reply. What was the point?

"I'm going over to Randy's, we're gonna try figure out how to get her back. You wanna come?" Matt grabbed his car keys from the island. Jeff simply shook his head, and Matt sighed as he walked out the door. Jeff collapsed on the couch, breaking down inside.

That was one of the many differences between the brothers. Matt would do everything he could do, while Jeff failed to see the point in trying if you knew it wasn't going to work. Matt would busy himself with little things, while Jeff would just lay around, thinking about it. Matt would bury his feelings deep down inside, while Jeff just completely let them consume him.

Matt raced down the stairs to his car, and Jeff cried himself to sleep on the couch.

* * *

A blood-curdling scream rang through the apartment, waking up everyone inside. Aj sat up in bed, desperate to know what was going on. Were they torturing someone? Had they kidnapped someone else as well? What the fuck was happening?

"John!" Aj slowly stood up out of her bed. "John, no, not John," She took a tiny step towards the door, praying the floorboards didn't creak. "No, take me instead," She cracked open the door, and was amazed at what she saw.

No one was getting tortured, no one was getting raped. The source of the screaming came from Seth, who was lying on the couch, tossing and turning. He appeared to be asleep, and having some sort of nightmare. The guy from earlier, from the van, was desperately trying to wake him up, but he was unsuccessful. Another guy, with dark, slicked-back hair, was standing in the kitchenette, brewing coffee, but she didn't recognise him. Maybe he was the third guy from the van earlier.

"Seth, wake up," the guy pleaded with him. "C'mon, Seth," he muttered, as he shook his shoulders. Seth screamed again, and the sound echoed around the apartment.

"Leave him, Dean, he's not waking up," the guy from the kitchen said to the other guy, who now had a name. He sighed slightly, and sat down in an armchair adjacent to the couch, and Seth continued turning around the bed, muttering to himself and screaming every so often.

"Fuck, look who it is," Aj turned to see the guy in the kitchen staring at her.

She caught his eye, and felt her stomach flip.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four already! I don't know really, this chapter just seemed to kind of write itself. The beginning's a bit off, but other than that I kind of like this chapter. You get a Punk/Aj interaction, even though it's not the best as I'm really bad at writing dialogue between characters, as you will see here. (The Dean and Layla isn't great either, I'm really sorry, I just can't write conversations at all, they always sound so awkward and fake).**

**Oh, and I'd like to say congratulations to Phil and Aj for getting engaged! One of my otps is canon now even more officially, and I am so so happy for them! Just hope Aj doesn't get heat at work because of it. Looks like she's gonna lose the belt anyway, in that mess of a divas match, and this probably won't help.**

**There was actually a lot of reviews on the last chapter, especially since I wrote this one nearly immediately after posting that, and in reply to them:**

**CloveHGRue: thank you so much, it means the world to me, and here is an update!**

**Guest: thanks a million, I actually love you.**

**Tobesaved: again, thanks so much, here is an update!**

**Maashmellow: can't reveal anything, but it's really not that significant. And I'm not trying to be a bitch, but if you're going to use that many 'y''s, you might as well just type the proper word as it's shorter and a lot less annoying.**

**Guest: thank you, I love you.**

**jcott3: you were right about that, and here's an update! :)**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed!**

**Hope you like this chapter, tell me what you think of it!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

Aj quickly closed the door behind her, her heart pounding inside her chest. She immediately knew he was the leader of the gang, it wasn't hard to tell, and she suddenly felt like getting sick. The reality of it all was crashing down around her, and she suddenly realised, despite knowing it all along, her life was in severe danger.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I don't bite," he said form outside the door, and she felt like slapping him. He sounded so condescending, so patronising, as if he was talking to a fucking five year old. Kaitlyn had told her about guys like this, guys who were "cocky assholes who behaved like dicks to make up for having a small one". She cracked the door open, and the hazel met the brown.

She was vaguely aware of Dean and Seth, who was still muttering but had thankfully stopped screaming, but in that moment they seemed to fade away. She felt the disgust and burning hate rising inside her. Here was the guy who had ordered her to be kidnapped, here was the guy who wanted her dead, here was the guy who was guilty for everything.

"Aj Lee Hardy," he said slowly and she nearly threw up. How the fuck did he know her name? Turns out it wasn't a mistake, she was the 'right one'. But what did he want her for? How did he even know who she was? "I gotta admit," he said, turning to Dean, who was absent-mindendly rubbing Seth's shoulder. "Matt's little sister's hot,"

Aj felt her cheeks burn, and before she could stop herself she blurted it out. "Fuck you,"

She immediately regretted it; here was the guy who had her life in the mercy of his hands and she'd angered him, but another part of her was glad she had, it needed to be said. He was an over-confident prick, and he was just saying that to get inside her head. She wouldn't let him. Matt and Jeff had taught her years ago, don't listen to anything that comes out of anyone's mouth, unless you know you can trust them. And in a rush of confidence, she opened the door fully, and took a step out.

"Phil..." Dean muttered, but Phil either didn't hear him or chose to ignore it. He just stood there for a second, stunned, until he finally came to his senses. He slowly took a step towards her, and she wanted to run, all her instincts told her 'run', but her feet were glued to the spot. Fuck's sake, why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? Now her life was in even more fucking danger, as if it hadn't been bad enough already.

She kept her eyes locked on his the whole time, even when her lip started to tremble, and for a second, the world seemed to stop. And then she was up against the wall, a blade to her throat. "Listen here, and listen good," Phil whispered, speaking fast and keeping his voice low. "You better watch your fucking mouth, bitch,"

And then, as quickly as it had started, he was off her, and she collapsed to the ground, shaking, not even bothering to try and disguise her fear. She had had a knife to her throat, he could've killed her, her life would've ended. The door slammed, and Aj guessed Phil had left, and she crawled back into her room.

She collapsed on the bed, her small frame shaking with fear and worry and rage. What the fuck had she done to deserve this? Was she really such a bad person? Should she try to escape? And how the fuck did Phil know Matt?

She fell asleep with all these questions circling round her brain.

* * *

Layla El awoke to her mobile phone ringing loudly. She cursed loudly, this had been the first night in a while she'd been having a good sleep, and now some idiot had woken her up. She rolled out of bed, and sighed. Who the fuck rang somebody in the middle of the night? She checked the caller ID, and saw it was Dean. Silently cursing the little fucker, she picked up.

"Dean, what the fuck do you want?"

"Nice to hear from you too," his voice was crackling slightly, and she realised he must be at Seth and Phil's. They didn't have great phone reception. "Anyway, will you come out here? Seth's, um, having trouble sleeping and I don't wanna leave him by himself,"

Layla knew about Seth's sleeping patterns, the whole gang did, but it wasn't something they discussed openly out of respect to Seth, who'd probably die of embarrassment if he found out they all knew. "So don't leave him by himself," she sighed loudly into the phone.

"Mike texted me, said he needed my help," Dean sighed. "Just, please, Layla,"

"Fine, whatever, I'll be there in five minutes,"

She ended the call, and slipped her phone into her tracksuit bottoms. Pulling on a jumper and grabbing her keys, she headed out of her and Michelle's apartment. It was cold outside, but it was a nice kind of cold, refreshing. Just like that night...

She shuddered, and tried to think of something else. She hated thinking of that night, how he had crumpled before her eyes, how the life had slowly left his face, how his body had turned to stone in her hands. A shiver went down her spine, and she hurried up walking down the street to her car. They weren't allowed to park directly outside the apartment block for some reason, and she didn't want a parking ticket. Couldn't risk associating with the police.

She drove quickly, like she always did, and she was soon outside their apartment. She could always remember which building it was (fourth on the left after the old broken traffic lights), but the floor number always got her. She knew it was the seventh, but she always forgot whether that meant she climbed six or seven flights of stairs.

She pushed open the door, and Dean was almost out the door before she had a chance to say hi. "Thanks, Lay," he said, and with that he was gone.

"Hey, Seth," she said, even though she knew she wouldn't get an answer. Seth was far away, stuck in the land where all he saw was that night, when his brother had been taken away from him.

Layla sighed as she sat down next to Seth. She hadn't been that close with John, but seeing the way both his brothers were affected by his death broke her heart sometimes. Seth was a completely different person; he went from being the happy-go-lucky baby of the group to someone who was rarely seen smiling. And though she didn't know the full extent of it, she heard Phil talking about how bad Seth was getting at night. He had even considered getting him a therapist, but in the end he convinced himself that they couldn't be trusted.

And Phil, well he was a wreck too, but in a different way from Seth. He had been a joker before, and strangers had often mistook him and Seth for twins, but now the six year age gap between them was always apparent. Phil constantly had large bags under his eyes, and he often looked tired and fed up. It was like he'd grown up overnight. He'd been forced to.

She jumped as Seth screamed, and she cursed quietly under her breath. It was at that moment she swore to herself, made a promise that she would never break.

They'd make the Hardys pay for everything.

* * *

Mickie James walked out to her car, the day's events still fresh in her mind. Her, Matt, Kelly and Randy had spent all day trying to come up with a plan to locate Aj, but they had no success. Eventually Matt had got really frustrated and walked out, but the rest of them had stayed around a while longer, drinking and talking.

She had been planning to go check on Jeff, she'd been surprised when he hadn't came, but when she asked, Matt had just shot her a look that said 'don't even go there'. She was worried about both of them, but she knew Matt could handle it; he could handle anything. But Jeff, she'd known him since they were sixteen. He was unbelievably close with Aj, and he was really protective of her. She knew he would be blaming himself, and she knew he would be breaking down inside.

But she was tired; so tired, and drunk, and right now, all she wanted to do was sleep. And she wasn't in a fit condition to drive. She wasn't about to cause a crash and go to jail again. She'd had quite enough of it the first time.

So she lay down in the back seat of her old car, ignoring the seat belt buckles that were digging into her back, and thought about everything. She tried to imagine where Aj was, trapped somewhere, locked in a warehouse or something. And she thought of Phil, the sick dirty bastard, who no doubt had Aj in his clutches. Sweet, innocent Aj who had absolutely no clue about anything that was going on. The poor girl would be so confused.

She got a sick feeling as she thought of the gang who now had Aj, Phil, Seth, Dean, Roman, Mike, Maryse, Michelle and Layla. She felt tears of anger coming up to her eyes as she thought of Aj, who was now in the hands of those monsters. Why they had taken her was still a mystery (even for them, kidnapping someone's sister for no reason other than you don't like someone, was ridiculous), but one thing was for sure.

They were going to get her back no matter what.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter five! Sorry for the slow update, but I was working on my other fanfics. I finished Waiting, so I decided to start a new one, Letters to a Rich Kid. It's Ambrollins, but there's a good selection of characters involved, so go check it out!  
**

**In reply to the reviews:**

**CloveHGRue: thank you so much, it means the world to me. You review on every chapter, I actually love you more than you could imagine! And Dean gets kind of pissed with Aj here! But no Phil/Aj interaction I'm afraid.**

**Maashmellow: shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be such a bitch. Seriously, I actually feel really bad, I was just pissed when I was writing that. I'm sorry x.**

**Only two reviews on the last chapter, but, hey, it's better than none.**

**Huge thank you to everyone who followed, favourited & reviewed! I love you all 3.**

**Hope you like the chapter, and tell me what you think of it!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

For the next five days, Phil didn't return to the apartment. Though there was an unspoken agreement not to mention it, Dean could tell it was affecting Seth pretty badly. Every time the door would open, he'd look up hopefully, but every time his hopes would be crushed. Dean was worried about him. The last time he'd lost a brother hadn't ended well.

Aj's life was actually alright, apart from the obvious fact that she was kidnapped. They fed her three meals a day, and when finally plucked up the courage to ask Roman (who she'd decided was the nicest member of the group) for a drink, it was given to her straight away. Dean was a dick to her, and Seth and Layla pretty much ignored her the whole time, but the rest of them were alright.

She managed pretty well with the fact that Phil was no longer there; after their first meeting, she wasn't in a rush to meet him again, but she wished he'd come home for Seth. Roman had told her once, when it was just the two of them watching TV, that Seth was breaking down inside, and Aj couldn't argue with that. With the exception of one night, when Seth had slept at Dean's, she'd been kept awake every night by his screaming. She knew that it wasn't just because of Phil's absence, but that surely didn't help.

She had taken to sleeping during the day, she couldn't sleep at night because of Seth, and it was a good way to pass time. She was drifting between consciousness when she heard the voices outside. She slowly walked over to her door, and put her ear to it.

"I say we tell her," That was Roman.

"No, fuck's sake, Phil would've said if he wanted us to." Seth.

"I know he's your brother, Seth, but he's not our boss," That was definitely Dean. None of the others would say that.

"Guys, her confusion is part of what's keeping her here," Seth spoke again, and Aj realised with a cold shiver down her spine that they were talking about her.

"Trust me, this is perfect, this will crush her," That was Dean, and Aj was suddenly worried. Still though, if they could tell her why she was here, she'd be grateful, no matter how bad it was. Nothing could be worse than the not knowing.

"Fine, whatever," That was Seth again. "Just don't come crying to me when it doesn't work out," and with that Aj heard a door slam. She clambered back into her bed, and pretended to be asleep. The door opened seconds after she closed her eyes.

"Yo, Aj," It was Roman's voice, and she opened her eyes. "Come out, we've something to tell you,"

She followed him out the door, her heart pounding in her chest. Still though, in less than five minutes, she'd know why she was here, and maybe then she'd be able to understand what they were going to do with her. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

Dean was sat in the arm chair, so she joined Roman on the couch. The nervous excitement was running through her veins, and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to hear what they had to say or not. They sat in an awkward silence for a couple of seconds, no one knowing what to say.

Dean spoke first. "Well, first, what you've got to understand is that both your brothers are part of a gang, and that gang happens to be our enemy."

"Wha-" she began, but Dean cut her off.

"Don't interrupt," he said. "Ok, so, the gang consists of Matt, Jeff, Mickie, Kelly, Randy, Nikki, Brie and that freak they call Big Show." He spat their names out with a venom that could only come from years of pure hatred.

"They hate us, we hate them, that's just how it works," Dean said, and gestured to Roman to take over the talking.

"Well, one night, we were out, me, Dean, Seth, Phil and John, and they jumped us. We fought back, and then one thing led to another, and John... got stabbed," his voice cracked, and broke off into nothingness.

"He bled to death in that alleyway." Dean didn't look at her, and his voice was emotionless. "Matt killed him."

Aj felt her heart crush. Surely there must be a mistake. Matt couldn't, he wouldn't, Matt couldn't fucking kill someone. No, they were making it up. Making it up to get to her. Matt wasn't a murderer, she would know if was, he was her brother. No way would Matt be able to carry on with his everyday life after taking someone's life.

"No," she said quietly, her voice weak and startled. "He wouldn't,"

"Oh, but he did," Dean said, and she could wear she saw the traces of a smile curve his lips. The bastard was probably enjoying this. "Matt took their brother, they take his sister,"

"But, that's not fair," she muttered, and Dean suddenly exploded.

"You wanna know what's not fucking fair? Seth hasn't slept a single night since it happened. Every night he screams and he screams and he blames himself. It isn't fair that I have to stop him from drinking himself to death when that's the only thing that helps him. It isn't fair that I have to find him lying in the road in the middle if the night, waiting for a car to come roll him over. It isn't fair that we all have to watch him break down and know there's absolutely nothing we can do to help. It isn't fair that your brother killed a guy, and got off scott-free. Life's not fucking fair. Get used to it."

And with that Dean was gone, slamming the door loudly behind him.

* * *

Seth Rollins sat on the curb of a busy street, watching the world pass by. He saw hundreds of people pass by, and it was then that he realised how insignificant they all were. They all had their stories, their problems, but in the end nothing mattered. Everyone died, and everyone would die, the rich, the poor, the black, the white, they'd all go. It didn't matter how you lived, everyone died the same way.

Everyone was equal when they were dead.

A young woman walked past, pushing a buggy with three babies inside, and a toddler walked beside her. He wondered if she was a single mother, or if she had a husband at home, or if the kids were even hers. Who knows, maybe she was a psychotic lunatic who had taken them all from their true parents.

A middle-aged guy passed by, and Seth wondered what his story was. Did he have a wife, kids, or was he all alone in this hell hole? Did he have brothers, sisters, or people he could call friends? Was he happy, or was he just putting up a front for the world?

A group of teenagers past him, all laughing and talking to each other, and Seth couldn't help but wonder, were they genuinely happy? Or did they cry themselves to sleep every night, hating the world and everyone in it, including themselves?

He liked losing himself in other people's lives. It helped him escape his own.

His phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pockets like a shot. No one ever rang him except Phil. He picked up immediately.

"Hey, Seth, where are you?"

"Em, I dunno the name, some street in town,"

"So you're not at home?"

"No, why?"

"No reason, just wondering. Who is there?"

"Dean and Roman. Oh yeah, I meant to tell you, they're telling Aj everything. Like why we took her and stuff."

"What?"

"Yeah, I told them not to, but Dean said it was perfect. He said it'd crush her, knowing it was her brothers' fault she was here."

"Fuck, I wanted to be the one to tell her. I wanted to see the look on her face."

"So where are you? Are you coming home?" Seth couldn't keep the hope out of his voice.

"Yeah, I'll be there soon enough. Call everyone over, I've got a plan."

"Ok, bye,"

"See ya,"

* * *

Nikki Bella sat on the couch in Jeff and Matt's apartment, squashed between her sister and Kelly. She was pissed, and quite frankly, bored. She hadn't known Aj, and couldn't really give a fuck about her, if she was completely honest. So what, she got kidnapped. People got kidnapped every day. It wasn't a big deal. If they hadn't wanted to put her in danger, Matt and Jeff shouldn't have been in a gang in the first place. Everyone knew there was dangers involved, and they just had to live with them.

Besides, there was nothing they could do to help Aj anyway. For five days, they'd done the exact same thing, sat around discussing techniques and sharing ideas, and everyday they'd come up with the same conclusion: nothing. So why bother? It wasn't making anything better, it was just making everything worse.

They just needed to move on and forget about it.

She sighed audibly, and walked over to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Randy was saying the same thing he said at the end of everyday; 'we'll find her, don't worry, she's tough, she'll be ok,'. It was an obvious lie, and it wasn't helping anyone.

It was giving Matt false hope; he genuinely believed they could find her, and it was just hurting Jeff to be reminded of her, when it was clear he just wanted to forget. Sometimes, the truth hurt, but they weren't avoiding the pain, they were just dragging it out and making it worse. There was going to be pain, and it was better just to face it.

She rolled her eyes again, as Kelly and Randy left, telling Matt and Jeff not to worry as they'd find her in no time. They were so stupid. It was like an elastic band, the more you pull it, the more it's going to hurt when it snaps.

None of this she said out loud, of course, no, that would be the worst possible thing she could've done. So she got up, and followed Brie out the door, after saying goodbye to the remaining people. Brie told them what had become the standard thing to say 'don't worry'. As if that was going to stop them from worrying.

Nikki closed the door behind her just as the phone began to ring.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, I know, I haven't updated in absolute ages, but I was on holiday in Portugal and we had no wifi, so I couldn't update. Didn't have a lot of time for writing either, I'm afraid, as I was busy with other shit. So anyway, here is chapter six, and I have to say I'm not to please with it, but I really couldn't leave you guys waiting any longer, cos I already feel like the world's biggest bitch.**

**In reply to the reviews:**

**Tobesaved: Thank you so much! Your reviews are actually the cutest, always inspire me to write more, I love the way you don't say update soon or please update. Not that I mind those reviews, of course, but ones like yours always bring a smile to my face.**

**LeCrazz: God, I actually love you. I just absolutely love it when people get caught up in the story. No Aj/Punk interaction here, I'm afraid, but there's one coming soon, probably the next chapter or so. Yeah, Dean's kind of a dick, but next chapter you get a back story for him, so you get to kind of learn more about him. And don't worry, Matt and Jeff will start looking for her promptly. They're just still in shock and don't know where to start. What happens in this chapter will help them a bit. Anyway, thank you for your review, you're the bestest.**

**CloveHGRue: thank you 3, I actually love you! Here's another chapter!**

**Guest: thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoy it!**

**Guest: here's the next update.**

**Maashmellow: I'm so happy you've forgiven me, I still feel kind of bad, though. I was just in a bad mood, and I just get like that sometimes, I'm really sorry. I'm glad you're sticking with this story, even though I was such a bitch to you, I really am so sorry. Here's another chapter!**

**jcott3: I actually love you! I love when people get involved in my stories, it's just a really special moment. You get to see what happens in the phone call here. X**

**MegChambersLt: thank you, I love you, I'm glad you enjoy the story. 3**

**This chapter is dedicated to Maashmellow for being one of the most understanding people on the world! 3**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited & followed! I love you all.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter. Tell me what you think!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

Phil Brooks raced up the stairs, his heart pounding. He had spent his time away thinking, he'd needed time and space, and now he'd made up his mind. And now he just had to tell the others, and persuade them he was right. Which wouldn't be easy.

He opened the door, miraculously picking the right one, and saw they were all there, gathered around on the couch. Dean looked incredibly pissed about something, but that wasn't a surprise, and Seth, sitting next to him, looked kind of nervous. Phil hated that; he hated that he scared his own brother. Layla, Michelle and Roman were on the other couch, while Mike and Maryse sat together in the armchair. Aj was nowhere to be seen, she was probably in her room. Not that he gave a fuck.

"So," Phil said, skipping the 'hello's and 'how are you's. "They know she's missing, obviously. They think we have her. But they've no idea where she is, or how to find her,"

"Isn't that what we want?" It was Mike who spoke.

"Where's the fun in that?" Phil smiled mischievously, and for half a second, they all caught a glimpse of the old Phil, the one before John's death. But then he was gone. "We need to torture them, make them pay. For John." His voice trailed off, leaving an awkward moment of silence when no one knew what to say.

"I'm with Phil," it was Dean who spoke. "What's the point keeping her here if we're not gonna have any fun?"

"I agree with Dean," Seth mumbled, and it kind of hurt Phil that he didn't say his name, and in a defeated moment, he realised that Dean was more of a brother to Seth than he was.

"But how would we even contact them?" Michelle asked dubiously. "We can hardly show up at their front door, and say 'yeah, we took your sister and wanna have some fun, so if you could follow us back to our place and try get her back, that'd be great,"

Phil smirked. "We'll ring them. From a pay phone. And just drop hints about where she is. They're not that fucking stupid, they'll figure it out."

Mike raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Michelle and Layla exchanged glances, and Maryse just shrugged.

"Right, well, let's do it,"

* * *

Matt hesitated slightly before picking up the phone. No one ever rang their house phone; he'd actually been considering getting rid of it, and now it rang. He refused to believe it was just coincidence; it had to have something to do with Aj. Curiosity got the better of him, and he picked up.

"Um... Hello," he said, kind of nervously. The room was silent; he could hear the others' anticipation in their breathing.

"Ah, Matt, long time, no see," Matt realised it was Phil, and listened even more attentively. He could hear the cockiness practically leaking down the phone. "Oh wait, I have seen you. You should really get a safer apartment, I could just take anyone of you at any moment."

Matt clenched the phone even tighter. "Phil, where the fuck are you?"

"Chicago, like you. Beautiful city, don't ya think? But it's just so busy, sometimes I wish I could get away. Like the outskirts, ya know? With rivers and trees and shit. But still have like apartment blocks. But no people. It's nice."

"Phil, I know you have her, just give her back,"

"Where's the fun in that?" He laughed down the phone, a dry empty laugh.

Matt sighed. "Can I talk to her?" He said, and then after a couple of seconds of silence. "Please,"

"Sure, two seconds," Phil said, and Matt couldn't believe it. "Oh, sorry, she says she doesn't talk to murderers,"

And with that Phil slammed down the phone.

* * *

Dean Ambrose sat on a park bench, smoking, and watching the deserted park. It was spitting lightly, but he didn't really care. He kind of liked the rain. He exhaled, and thought. About life. Choices. Decisions. He was bad at making decisions, he knew that from his twenty three years on this planet. He was a spur of the moment kind of guy, and he regretted stuff a lot.

"Hey," Seth jumped over the back of the bench and sat next to him.

"How'd you know where I was?"

"You always come here when you're mad," Seth offered him an apple, which he took.

"How'd you know I was mad?"

"You're always mad," Seth said, with half a smile, and Dean just shook his head slowly. "Roman told me what you said,"

"Hmm," Dean said, but he was actually listening hard.

"Um, I'm sorry, Dean," Seth turned to look at him. "I didn't know I was such a burden on you,"

"Fuck," Dean muttered, "Look, Seth, you're not a burden on me. Not at all,"

Seth smiled slightly, despite himself. "You're a good friend, Dean,"

"Fuck, Seth, don't go all sentimental on me,"

"I mean it, Dean, you are,"

And with that Seth walked away, leaving Dean all alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Roman Reigns lay alone in his bed, listening to the storm raging outside. The rain was pounding down on his velux window, and the wind was howling viciously outside. Some may find it frightening, but he found it kind of beautiful. He thought of Seth, outside of town, who was either lying awake, or screaming sleeping. Maybe Dean was with him.

He worried about Seth a lot, he'd known the guy since they were five, and Seth had always been outgoing, dangerous, fun. Living life on the wild side. But now, he was a shell of his former self. It was rare to see him smiling, much less laughing. Dean could always bring a smile to his lips, but he was pretty much the only one who could.

Roman knew he couldn't really blame it on Phil and John, but to him, it seemed mainly their fault. If they hadn't started this stupid gang, then none of them would be involved in all of this, John would be alive, Seth would be happy, and Phil would have fun. He sighed to his empty apartment; he doubted Seth would ever be okay again. And Phil, his brother, who was supposed to care for him, wouldn't get him the help he needed because he didn't fucking trust anyone enough.

Seth was just a kid, they were all just kids, caught up in a war, playing adults.

He was drifting between sleep and awakeness, when he first heard the knock. Despite the pounding rain, the crashing thunder and the howling wind, it was there, clear and definite a knock on his door. Screaming. Slowly, cautiously, he grabbed a metal rod he kept under his bed- you could never be too careful in this neighbourhood, and being in a gang didn't help his chances.

He made his way to the door, and looked out the peephole. Nothing. Probably some stupid kids playing ding-dong-ditch or whatever. But then he heard it again. The wail. He opened the door slowly, and there, nearly collapsed, was the guy. He turned his head to look up Roman. Roman couldn't believe his eyes.

There, lying on his floor, soaking wet, was Dean Ambrose.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is chapter seven! No punk. No Aj. No interaction between them I'm really sorry, I really a m, but I was trying to write it and it wouldn't work. Next chapter, I promise. And this cheater is really short, but ah well.**

**On an unrelated note, if any of you have read the maze runner, we are now best friends, specifically if you ship minewt, but if not that's fine.**

**In reply to the reviews:**

**LeCrazz: thank you so much, and I did. 3**

**CloveHGRue: you're gonna hate me. No Punk/Aj interaction again, but next chapter I promise. As i said before I was trying to write it but it just wouldn't work. Hang in there, it's coming, though. Xo**

**Darkrai842: thank you, thank you, thank you! I love when people get involved in my stories. Glad to know you find Phil sadistic, that's what I was going for with him, but I wasn't too sure if I'd got it or not. Thank you for reviewing, I love you.**

**Tobesaved: thank you, I love you. You're one of the most consistent reviewers, and I barely ever appreciate that, so just wanted to say thank you.**

**Wakko's minion: woo woo, I'm glad you like it. I'm a sucker for gang stories myself, so thought I might as well have a shot at writing them. **

**Maashmallow: god, you may actually be a saint. Seriously, you're so forgiving, and kind, and just perfect. I got your PM by the way, and it actually brought tears to my eyes. You're adorable, were now best friends. 3**

**AddictedFanfiction: thank you so so much, I actually love you. Here's an update! **

**Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited & reviewed! I love you all! 3**

**Tell me what you think of this chapter!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

'Sorry, she says she doesn't talk to murderers,'

Matt Hardy stared in the bathroom mirror. He had told the others everything Phil had said on the phone, and they had come to the conclusion that Phil was hiding out in the old abandoned part of town by the river. Or else he was making the whole thing up and it was a trap. Either way, it was better than doing nothing. And, something told Matt that Phil wasn't lying. He was the type of sick bastard who would enjoy something like this.

They knew where Aj was. When night fell, they were going to find her. They were going to get her back. Jeff had gotten off the couch for the first time in days. Mickie had called the others and they'd made a plan. They were ready. He should be happy, nervous, excited, something. But he couldn't stop thinking about that line.

'Sorry, she says she doesn't talk to murderers,'

He hadn't told the others about that part. He couldn't deal with them saying that Aj would never say that, that Phil was making it up, that Matt wasn't even really a murderer. Part of him didn't even want Aj back now. If Phil had told her everything, then every time she saw Matt all she would see is a murderer.

It was weird, but he'd never really thought of himself as a murderer before. He was the one with the knife, he was the one who stabbed John, but at the end of the day, he hasn't planned it. He wasn't the one who turned on his gang and betrayed them. And he hadn't meant for John to die. In fact, he didn't even know John had died until a couple of weeks later.

He hadn't had nightmares about it. He hadn't felt guilty about it. He hadn't saw a murderer every time he glanced in the mirror. Until now. Now everything was completely and utterly fucked up.

And it was all Phil's fault.

* * *

Michelle McCool walked down the street, letting the cold air brush her face. She knew something was happening, she could feel it, she had felt it ever since Phil had rang them a couple of hours ago. They were coming. Tonight. She could tell.

She should've been worried, but she wasn't. She should've remembered that these were the people who'd killed John, but she didn't. She should've remembered that they were capable of a lot more than anyone gave them credit for, but she didn't. Instead she felt excited.

She entered the Starbucks where she'd agreed to meet Melina. Spotting her old friend at a table, she walked over.

"Hey," she said, and Melina nodded in response. "You ordered yet?" Melina shook her head, and Michelle sat down. She couldn't stop thinking about how different Melina was acting. Michelle hadn't seen her in a couple of months, as she'd left the gang after John's death. Her and John had been going out for a couple of years, and she claimed she couldn't bear staying anymore. Melina had never been too keen on the idea of the gang, and John's death was the last straw for her.

"So, you wanted to talk to me?" Michelle said, after a couple of seconds, when it became clear Melina had no intention of talking. She was surprised when she got the phone call from Melina, and now Melina was acting really strange.

"Em, yeah, well, I don't know how to put this, really," Melina began. "I've started seeing someone else, and, well, he proposed." Michelle stayed quiet, she would not congratulate her. "But, please, 'Chelle, don't tell the others, and I've gotta ask you to do something for me."

"What?" Michelle snapped. Here was Melina, two and a half months, after John's death, engaged to another guy. The rest of them were broken, some beyond repair, and here was Melina, his girlfriend, the one who said 'I love you' to him on a daily basis, absolutely fine.

But something had changed in Melina's expression. Her face had hardened, and she looked Michelle in the eye for the first time. "Kill Matt. Make him pay. Make them all pay. For John."

And with that Melina stood up, grabbed her bag and walked out of there.

* * *

Roman Reigns could not believe what he was seeing. At all. Dean Ambrose, who had never shredded so much as a tear in the fifteen years he'd known him, was lay down on his couch, sobbing ferociously, drowning out any sound of the storm outside. Dean Ambrose, who hadn't even had a tear in his eye at John's funeral, who hadn't weeped when he broke his leg, who hadn't cried when he was eleven and fell off the tallest slide in the park, was on his couch sobbing, crying his eyes out. It was so absurd, it would've almost been funny.

If Dean didn't look so broken.

"Dean, c'mon, what happened?" He said, rubbing Dean's shoulder. "You can tell me, I'm your best friend,"

"He.." Dean managed, between sobs. "He said... I was a...good friend,"

"Who? Dean, who said that?"

"Seth," Dean sat up, wiped the snot and tears from his face with his sleeve. "Seth said I was a good friend,"

"And?" Roman couldn't see why this was such a bad thing.

"The guilt, Rome, it's eating me up inside, and I can't do this anymore. He called me a good friend. A good fucking friend. I can't do this, Ro', I can't look at him, and know I caused that. It's my fault, it's all my fucking fault, I fuck everything up, I fuck...everything up," Dean was hysterical. Any calmness he had gained earlier was gone but the end of his statement. He began wailing again.

"I still don't get it. What happened?" Roman pushed for information. Maybe if he got it, he would understand and be able to help Dean.

"John. His brother. He called me a good friend and I killed his brother,"


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, so first of all, just want to make it clear that this and chapter nine were originally the same chapter, but I just wanted to have it a bit shorter and more dramatic, and I kind of realised that way too many things were happening in one chapter so I decided to split it. There is no Aj/Punk interaction in this or chapter nine, but you do get a moment at the end of the next chapter, and a big interaction in chapter ten! Please don't hate me, I know I haven't had one in ages, but it just never feels right when I write it. **

**This chapter is tiny, because, as I said before, I had to split it, so sorry about that. But anyway, in reply to reviews: **

**LeCrazz: thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I actually love you, and no AjPunk interaction again, but a massive one in chapter ten to make up for it! Sorry my reply is short, thank you again!**

**CloveHGRue: Thank you so much, I thought people would get really pissed because this is an AjPunk story, and I've had like none of it, but you didn't so thank you!**

**Guest: yeah, well kind of, you get to find more out here. Thanks for reviewing.**

**Darkrai842: this is sad, but your review actually brought tears to my eyes. I love responding to reviews, because a lot of the time you'll say something to an author and they'll just completely ignore you, and I like to acknowledge when people do review. Yeah, I know, the ending was like WHAT, but you get to learn a bit more here. Not why, but how he did it. **

**Maashmellow: oh god, that's awful, I hope you're okay. And I'm glad you wrote that 'yyyyyyyy' comment as well because it's got me a new friend! Glad you're enjoying this story, truth probably won't be revealed for a while, but when it is, omg they'll be trouble.**

**jcott3: you really have a great insight in to this story, I'm glad you're so involved in it. You find out on this chapter if it's indirect or direct, and something rash does kind of happen. And yeah, you made me laugh with the Melina bit. X**

**AddictedFanfiction: again, no AjPunk interaction, I'm really sorry, I know I must sound like a broken record, but please be patient, you get one in chapter ten, so just hold on till then. Xo**

**xXxthegirlnextdoorxXx: heheheeh, yeah, you find out more here.**

**Tobesaved: thank you, I love you!**

**Loving the reaction I got for that last chapter, I guess it was the ending that got people. Here is chapter eight, tell me what you think of it!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed & favourited!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

"Dean, what the fuck?" Dean had began to cry hysterically again. "Dean, Dean, listen to me," Roman said, desperately trying to calm him down. "You didn't kill John, Matt did, I was there, you were there, we all saw what happened."

"I told them where we were," Dean had stopped crying now, and he spoke with no emotion in his voice. "I told them where we were gonna be, I told them to beat up John bad. I, I didn't think they'd kill him. Or maybe I did, I don't even know, Rome, I dunno what I was thinking, but it's...all...my...fault." He began hyperventilating.

"Dean, calm down, breathe, you're okay, it's not your fault," Roman tried to reassure him, but he couldn't hide his disbelief. Dean, a traitor? Of all the people, Dean would've been the last person he would've picked.

"Your phone's ringing," Dean said suddenly, and Roman nearly laughed. How Dean could go from sobbing his heart out to something so simple bemused him. His phone had been on vibrate, and he hadn't heard it. He pulled it out.

"Ro', where the fuck are you?" It was Seth. "I've been trying to reach you for like an hour. You need to come over here like now. Before they get here." The tone in which he said 'they' made Roman know exactly who he was talking about.

"Oh, em, sure, I'll be there in a couple minutes. Are they definitely coming?" Dean had stopped crying for good now, and he was listening attentively.

"Yeah, I think so. Probably, anyway get your ass over here. Oh, you don't know where Dean is, do you? I can't get a hold of him either."

"He's with me. Don't worry, we'll be there in a couple of seconds,"

As Roman followed Dean out the door, he realised that the last fifteen minutes were the first time he'd ever really seen Dean as human.

* * *

"Okay, everyone know what they're doing?" Matt asked, for what seemed like the a millionth time.

"Yes, for the a hundredth time," Kelly responded, but she was smiling. Kind of nervously. Matt realised that the last time they'd planned an attack was when John had- well, you know.

"Remember, don't draw attention to yourself until we get there. And keep your eyes open. We don't know what building they're gonna be in. And don't go anywhere by yourself." Matt was actually kind of enjoying the planning of this. It helped him forget what was going on inside his head.

"Aye aye, captain Matt," Jeff said, playfully hitting Matt on the back of his head. It was the first time since Aj'd gone that he'd been completely sober.

They all felt it; the nervous excitement building up in the room; it was nearly tangible. It didn't hit Matt until they were nearly ready to go. He was getting his sister back. Aj was coming home.

"Let's go," Randy said, and the seven of them walked out to his car.

* * *

Phil, Seth, Dean, Roman, Mike, Maryse, Michelle and Layla all stood in the living area of Seth and Phil's flat. Seth was by the window, watching the street below, looking for any sign of the other gang. The lights were all off. The curtains weren't drawn. They didn't want to draw any attention to their apartment.

No one spoke. Nobody needed to. They all knew what the others were feeling. They knew Phil was confident, ready to beat up anyone and everyone. They knew Seth was thinking of John and wanted to avenge him, but that he was too scared to really do so. They knew Dean was just craving a fight, and Roman was going to beat the shit out of whoever he ended up closest to. They knew that Layla was willing to kill, and that Michelle was focused on the fight. They knew that Maryse would kick and scratch and claw her way through the fight, and Mike would smash his fist into everyone's faces.

But what they didn't know was that Maryse and Mike had no intention of fighting, as they had decided earlier that neither of them would get involved. They didn't know that Michelle's focus was on Melina, and the upcoming fight had barely entered her mind since their meeting. They didn't know that Layla had brought no weapons, as she was determined to never, ever kill again. They didn't know that Dean would rather do anything else on this planet than fight right now, and they didn't know that Roman was too busy worrying about Seth and Dean to even think about the fight. They didn't know that Phil was a nervous wreck, unsure of whether to even fight or not, and they certainly didn't know what Seth was hiding.

He was willing to do absolutely anything to avenge his brother.


	9. Chapter 9

**Here's chapter nine! Tell me what you think of it!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

Seth, Phil, Layla and Dean all stood in the old lobby of a random apartment block, completely concealed by darkness. The other four were doing the same thing across the street. Seth had seen the same car drive past a couple of times, looking for them no doubt, and Phil had then given the order to go down and wait for them to drive past again. They were completely silent, they could practically hear the adrenaline pumping in their bloodstream. None of them had been in a fight since the whole John incident.

They heard the quiet purr of the car, and watched it drive past. "No Big Show," Phil muttered, barely suppressing a smile. That would drastically change the playing field. Then he began to walk out on to the road, the rest of them following. Phil was too proud to manoeuvre a sneak attack, he always fought his battles head on. He wasn't scared, he knew no one would bring serious weapons, the last thing anyone wanted was a murder on their hands.

Roman and Michelle joined them then, and told them that Mike and Maryse had ran away, which made Phil curse loudly, but the rest of them remained silent. No one wanted to talk. They heard the car coming back before they saw it; the quiet purr of the engine echoing around the deserted streets.

Randy stopped the car a good fifty metres away from where they were standing, and they slowly clambered out. For a couple of seconds, the two rivals just stared at each other, the hatred practically leaking out of their eyes.

Then, the fighting began.

Layla took on both Nikki and Brie at the same time, her experience meaning she was just as good as the two of them, and Michelle and Kelly started to fight. Dean and Mickie began exchanging punches, Mickie being just as good as any of the men, and Roman and Randy started pounding away at each other. Phil started to wrestle Jeff to he ground, taunting him as he did so, and Seth started to beat the living daylights out of Matt.

"Jesus, Jeff, you reek of beer," Phil muttered, landing another kick in Jeff's side, who was struggling to his feet. "Drunk like daddy, are ya?" Matt looked over from where he was fighting Seth, the tiny distraction allowing Seth to knock him to the ground, where he whacked his head off the concrete floor.

Phil laughed maniacally, but his laughter was cut short when he saw Seth pull something out of his pocket. A gun. Seth pointed it slowly at Matt's unconscious body, his whole body shaking with uncontrollable fear and rage. Everyone else stopped fighting, and just watched in shock as he grasped the trigger.

Everything went in slow motion as Seth pushed the trigger, as at the same time, Phil tackled him to the ground, causing the bullet to hit a nearby window, the glass crashing loudly.

* * *

"What the fuck were you doing?" Seth's voice echoed through their apartment, and Aj jumped up in her room, where they had locked her in. The rage and hurt was apparent in Seth's voice.

"Stopping you from fucking killing someone, Seth," Phil countered. "You wanna get the death sentence?"

"He didn't get the death sentence when he killed John, he didn't get anything!" Seth was screaming now.

"Seth, trust me, killing him would be too nice, he doesn't deserve to-"

Seth cut him off. "You don't even care about John anymore! Do you even fucking remember him? He was your brother, and we all watched him die, and you don't even care! We took Aj so we could get revenge, and you've done absolutely nothing! Admit it, you don't wanna kill her 'cos you think she's hot."

"Seth, I-"

"No, you're going to listen to me for once! If you won't kill her, I will, I remember John, and I'll get revenge. For him," Seth walked over to Aj's door, unlocking it in one swift moment. "Get out here!" She walked out slowly; she'd never seen Seth like this. Tears streaming down his face, his whole body shaking, he pretty much resembled a person who'd be trying to hold themselves together for too long, and had finally broken.

Seth held a gun to her head, and she felt her body go cold. This was it, this was the end, the last few seconds of her life were ticking away. Her whole life didn't flash before her eyes, in fact she struggled to remember something before this time. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, her fear had numbed her whole body.

The gun was shaking in Seth's hand, she could feel it, and in that moment, she realised she didn't want Seth to kill her, not for herself, but for him. Maybe it was her being stupid, caring about someone who'd kidnapped her, but she didn't want him to have to live with that. He was broken enough as it was, and despite his beliefs that killing her would help him, she knew for a fact that it wouldn't.

Seth tried to control himself, but he couldn't stop shaking. From fear or rage, he didn't know, but he couldn't stop. He tried to press the trigger, but his hand had gone limp. He couldn't press it, he couldn't kill her, he couldn't watch her die. It had been different in the street, he'd been caught up in the fight, and Matt had deserved it. He should have just shot her straight away; now he'd thought about it too much.

He threw the gun to the ground, and walked towards the door, turning around at the last second to face Phil. "I hate you," he said calmly, suppressing his rage so Phil would know he was serious.

With that, he turned away, slamming the door behind him loudly.

* * *

Aj stood in the same place she had an hour ago, only this time there was no gun to her head. Phil was asleep on the couch; he'd collapsed there after Seth had left. Aj didn't think she'd ever seen someone look so sad. She hadn't moved in an hour, she was glued to the spot.

Here it was, her chance at freedom, her chance to break free, and go back to her old life, going on double dates with Kaitlyn, Derrick, and an extremely nice but absolutely boring boy of Kaitlyn's choice, making sure she was back before curfew or else Jeff and Matt would go mad. Here it was, her chance, but she didn't take it.

Maybe it was fear keeping her there, or the realisation that she'd never really liked her life at all, or maybe it was the fact that being her wasn't so bad after all. Or maybe it was that this gang was a group of the most broken people she'd ever met, and she wanted to help them, however stupid that may sound.

Or maybe it was the fact that she'd heard Phil crying on the couch, and as much as she wanted to still hate him, she couldn't. And maybe it was the fact that, she'd tried endlessly to deny it, Phil did look adorable while sleeping.

Here was freedom.

And she wasn't even sure if she wanted it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ahh, omg, I'm so so so sorry I didn't update earlier. I've had this chapter finished since Friday, but I didn't get a chance to post it as I had a two-day swimming gala and couldn't! You all probably hate me, but I promise I'll try to update really frequently, but it will be hard since school is starting back. (Seriously the amount of work they expect us to do is ridiculous, I'm only 13 for fuck's sake, I can't do like a hundred projects)!**

**But, anyway, this chapter is kind of a cool down because the last few chapters were very action-y and dramatic. I won't reply to the reviews from chapter eight because most of the stuff that was said was pretty much answered in the next chapter, and as I said, they were the same chapter originally. So, anyway, in reply to the reviews:**

**LeCrazz: thank you, and yeah, she does, but don't worry, she's very capable of taking care of herself, which you will see later on. Yeah, Matt's gang did pretty shit, but Phil's were angrier, and they wanted to win more. But, don't worry, you haven't seen the last of them. Xo**

**Darkrai842: thank you so much, I'm glad you're so emotionally invested in this story, it means a lot to me! And yeah, this chapter's not as dramatic, but there'll be plenty of drama to come. **

**Maashmellow: thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I wouldn't go as far to say it was out of a novel, but yeah, I did like the way I wrote that part, so thank you for acknowledging it. And as for 'a gang if broken people' that pretty much just wrote itself. And I don't know what the IELTS exams are, but I assume that's really good, so congratulations anyway. **

**Guest: thank you, I really enjoyed that chapter myself. Xo**

**MegChambersLt: Don't worry, I do it myself, I only review every so often, and I know how stressful exams can be, my older sister's doing some really serious ones at the moment, and I know they take a lot out of you. And thank you so much, I'm really glad you're enjoying the story!**

**Guest: woah, woah, woah, slow down a little, I wouldn't go that far let. Their relationship is going to develop at a more realistic pace than most stories on here, where they literally fall in love at first sight, because I don't really believe in all that shit. Also, don't expect a happy ending, because I tend to write sad ones. Xo**

**Tobesaved: Thank You so much. X**

** AddictedFanfiction: Thank you, it means a lot to me to know people are actually reading this, and liking it. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**jcott3: You actually have no idea how much you help me with this story. Like a lot of the time, I have a vague idea of what I'm going to do with things, but the exact details a lot of the time I get from you, because your reviews are always spot on, and I think you understand the characters nearly better than I do! And that motto thing about guns is so true and well-written, I actually love it.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited & followed! 3 Sorry for the slow update!**

**Tell me what you think of this chapter! **

**Ciara x**

* * *

"'Fuck's sake," Matt muttered, as he held a wet towel to the back of his bleeding head. "I still can't believe he freaked out like that,"

"Tell me about it," Kelly agreed, from across the room where Brie was plastering her foot. "Dude's fucking crazy,"

"I thought for real he was gonna kill you, Matt," Brie added, with a nod. "He would've actually, if it weren't for Phil,"

"Weird that, when ya think about it," Jeff said. "I thought the guy would love to see you killed,"

"Mm," was all Matt could say. He'd been thinking about that actually. The only conclusion he'd been able to come to was that Phil had wanted to kill him himself, which admittedly was not a nice thought.

"Seriously though, they beat us bad," Randy said. "When did they all get so damn good?"

"That's what I was thinking," Mickie sighed. "We used to be able to match them punch for punch,"

"We didn't have Show, though," Matt said. "And, anyway, their gang is breaking apart at the seams. We lost one fight, we won't lose another."

"Preach that,"

* * *

Seth Rollins hadn't slept a wink all night. He had gone over to Dean's, and had spent the whole night watching him sleep. He was bored out of his mind, but quite frankly, he'd decided that it was better than keeping Dean up all night.

It gave him plenty of time to think, though. God, less than two hours ago he'd held a gun to Aj's head. To think a single click and he would've killed her. He would've taken her life. He would've been a murderer. He shivered at the thought.

He wasn't going to stop fighting or anything, but he decided right there that night that he wasn't going to be the one to kill Aj. When the time came, he'd make it clear that one of the others should do it. As for Matt, well, that was a different story. He'd proven earlier that he could beat him in a fight, even with a little distraction from Phil, he'd still done the majority of the work.

And he would've killed him as well. If it wasn't for Phil.

Anger seethed through his bones at the thought of him. Phil'd never been there for him when he needed him, always opting to let someone else take care if him, despite him being his official guardian. But his mind kept wandering back to what he had said.

"I hate you,"

Did Phil really deserve that? Yes, he tried to tell himself, but it was no good. He didn't hate him, he couldn't hate him, he was his brother for fuck's sake. Maybe Phil did need to be told that, though. A bit of a reality check. To show him Seth wasn't going to let him push him around anymore. It had needed to be said.

So why did Seth feel so fucking guilty?

It was later that night, around half four, when Seth heard the knock on the door. He sighed loudly as he rolled out of bed, making sure not to wake up Dean. It was probably Phil. Then again, he wouldn't care enough to come all the way here. He'd probably sent one of the others.

He took a quick glance through the peephole. Layla. He'd been right; Phil had sent someone to check on him. Shame he didn't care enough to come himself. Opening the door, he greeted her.

"Layla, if Phil sent you to bring me back, you can just go back and tell him that I'm not going. Ever."

"What?" The surprise on Layla's face was genuine, Seth decided. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter. So why are you here?"

"I need to tell you something. Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, sure, sorry," Seth moved to the side, and Layla walked in, sitting down on one of Dean's couches.

"Man, I forgot how much of a dump Dean's place was," She said, as Seth sat down next to her.

"Mm, I kinda like it," Seth said. "So what do you have to tell me?" Seth couldn't keep the curiosity out of his voice.

"Okay, Seth, just don't say anything 'till I'm done. This is hard for me to say, but just sit there and listen, okay?"

"Sure,"

"It was cold that night. Like windy, but in a nice way, kind of refreshing, ya know? So anyway, yeah, we were in New York. My first fight in the gang. It was going fine, till this one guy fired a gun. Everyone ran. Except for me. I don't know why. Then a guy from the other gang showed up, and before he could do anything I stabbed him. In the chest." She paused.

"It wasn't him, though. It was a different guy, I'd got them mixed up. A randomer. He had two kids, Seth. Two kids and a wife. He asked me to wait with him while he died. Said he'd always hated the fact that he might die alone, and that he'd do anything to stop that. He said he forgave me. Said he knew I was just a small girl caught up in a big game. Said he knew it wasn't my fault."

"I watched the light drain out of his face. I felt him turn cold and stiff in my arms. I watched him die, Seth,"

"And I know you hate Matt, Seth, and I know why. But I'm telling you now, telling you something I've never told anyone. If I could go back, I'd stab myself instead."

She got to her feet slowly and headed to the door.

"Seriously, Seth, you don't want to live with a murder on your hands,"

* * *

Phil woke up to the smell of a beautiful fry, cooked to perfection. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced up to see Aj in their kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

She looked over. "Making breakfast. First and last time. Help yourself," She left the kitchen and walked back to her room.

"Aj," Phil said. It was with a sudden realisation that she was the only person who hadn't left him. How pathetic was that? The only person who stayed with him was kidnapped.

"What?" She snapped. She was beginning to regret making breakfast at all; what had she been thinking? Why was she being so nice to the person who had fucking kidnapped her?

"Eat with me?" He hated how his voice sounded so desperate, and was just glad no one was around to hear it. But he suddenly realised he didn't want to be alone.

"I already ate," Her voice was icy cool, and he suddenly realised how stupid he'd been to expect anything else. He had kidnapped her after all.

"Please," he cringed, he couldn't remember the last time he'd said that.

She turned around, that had been the last thing she'd expected. "Fine," And she grabbed a couple of sausages and rashers, and sat with him on the couch.

Half an hour later, she was back in her room. She and Phil had spent the whole breakfast talking about old memories, well, Phil had and she had listened. Most were about John and Seth, and in that moment she had realised how much he actually did care for Seth, even if he didn't always show it.

She'd overheard Dean and Roman rant about how Phil needed to take better care of Seth, and she'd even heard Layla and Michelle discussing it. And she'd heard everything Seth himself had said last night.

But she'd seen Phil cry on the couch after Seth left him. After he said 'I hate you,'. And she'd listened as Phil recalled old memories of his little brother, from his first steps to his graduation.

And she realised that under all his sadistic ways, he was still a human and he still had feelings. He loved people, he hated people, and he was hurt by both.

It was then that she realised he wasn't as bad as he seemed.


	11. Chapter 11

I'm so so so so so sorry for the really slow update. I really am. I tried writing this chapter a couple of times, but I always ended up falling asleep instead. School started back this week, and summer tests are coming up, so the teachers are laying it on hard. They don't seem to understand that 13 year olds are not capable of doing so much work. I'll try and update more often, hopefully I'll be able to.

I'm not going to reply to the reviews on this chapter for the simple reason that it's half four in the morning, and I have swimming at half five. Don't worry though, I'll start back next chapter, which will be updated a lot, lot quicker than this one.

Again, sorry. Please don't hate me.

Ciara x

* * *

"Hey, Seth," Dean said, with a yawn, as he walked out towards his kitchen. Seth was still on the couch; he hadn't moved since Layla left. "Hey, no screaming?"

"No sleeping," Seth corrected, and Dean sighed.

"'Should've woke me,"

"Nah, I like watching you sleep,"

"Said the creeper," and Seth laughed, but it was kind of empty.

"Oh, yeah, Layla came over," he said, and immediately regretted it. What Layla had told him was kind of private, and although Dean was like a brother to him, he didn't want him to know.

"Oh, really, what'd she want?" Dean looked up at from the kitchen.

"Phil sent her. To try get me to come back," he was surprised how easily the lie passed over his lips.

"Speaking of which, when are you gonna go get your stuff? I assume you're not going back for a while,"

"Oh, yeah, will you get it for me? I can't go back there,"

Dean sighed, and rolled his eyes. "I'll go now," he grabbed his keys and headed for the door. "If I'm not back in half an hour, you can assume your brother's kidnapped me,"

Seth would've laughed, if it hadn't been for Aj.

* * *

"Right, well we now know that that's where they're staying, and that's where they're keeping her," Matt said, as the other four gathered around the table to look at the map he'd drawn. Brie and Nikki hadn't came for some reason, and Big Show was still in New York, but Kelly, Randy and Mickie had all shown, and the five of them had spent the last hour discussing all they remembered from last night.

"It makes perfect sense when you think about it," Kelly said, as she studied the map. "Keeping her out of town where no one will see her,"

"Yeah, I mean, say what you want about him, but you can't say Phil's not smart," Mickie added.

"Anyway, back to the point, we have no idea which building she's in, and I don't exactly want to search each one and check every single door, so we're gonna drive through there, and look at all the windows for a sign of anything weird or unusual. I know it's not exactly the best idea, but it's the only one we've got," Matt finished with a shrug.

"Well, let's go," Randy said, and they all made their way out of the apartment and downstairs.

It took them less than the minutes to reach the right part of town, with Randy pretty much ignoring the speed limits and traffic lights. It all looked so different in the day. Whereas it had been impossible to see nearly anything other than the general outline of things, it seemed like the light illuminated every single detail.

Every brick, every window, every flash of light. Staring as hard as humanly possible, Randy drove slowly down the road, making sure not to miss anything. And that's when they saw it. The flashing lights inside one of the windows. A TV.

Matt laughed. "Damn, and we thought Phil was smart,"

"Stupid fuckers' gone and gave himself away," The relief that flooded through all of them at that moment was unbelievable. They knew where she was, they were going to get her back, their lives would go back to normal. Everything was going to be okay.

"Do we go up there now?" Mickie asked.

There was a brief moment of silence before Matt answered. "No. Not right now,"

"We'll come back later,"

* * *

Dean Ambrose raced up the stairs to Phil's flat, taking two at a time, and cursing every so often under his breath. Trying to get rid of his anger before he got to the flat. But it didn't work. It was eating him up from the inside. He took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.

Aj was sat on the couch, watching some programme on Comedy Central. She glanced up when he entered, but didn't say anything. "Where's Phil?" He asked, as he headed to Seth's room. Old room.

"Out. He didn't say where he was going."

"Glad to know he's as affected as Seth is by this," Dean's voice was practically dripping with sarcasm. He got out an old duffel bag and started throwing Seth's stuff into it.

"What do you mean?" She muted the TV.

"Nothing. Just Seth didn't sleep at all last night, and Phil's out like everything's fine. Just pisses me off sometimes. How he doesn't give a fuck."

"He does care, he just has a weird way of showing it,"

Dean came back out into the main room. "Aj, shut the fuck up talking 'bout stuff you've no idea about."

"Dean, you know just as well as I do that he does care about him," Aj was determined now to show him.

"Oh, he cares, does he? Then why won't he get Seth the help he fucking needs? You of all people should know what he's like; you've heard him screaming every single night. You know he's fucked up. If Phil cared even the slightest bit, he'd get him a psychiatrist or whatever. Something. He'd at least try something."

"He does-" Aj began, but Dean cut her off abruptly.

"Look, why are you even defending him? You know he's the one who fucking kidnapped you, he is going to kill you. Seriously, Aj, stop thinking he's some sort of good person who made bad choices or something. Stop thinking you can fucking save us all from ourselves. We're not good people. We don't need saving. Stop trying to do stuff you don't know shit about,"

"I'm just-"

"I don't have time for this. I've to get back to Seth,"

And Dean left then, the bag hitting off the door on his way out.

* * *

Nikki and Brie sat side by side in Nikki's silver Mercedes, neither of them talking. The back seat was full with bags and boxes full of all their stuff. They were leaving Chicago. For good. They were leaving the gang. For good. They were leaving their old lives. For good.

They had talked about this for a couple of nights before finally coming to the decision that they had no choice. Nikki had been sure from the start that it was the only thing to do, but Brie had taken some convincing. She hadn't wanted to leave the gang without warning, but Nikki was her sister, and she couldn't let her go alone.

Brie sighed, and looked out the window. Maybe this was all a big mistake. What if the gang found out where they were going and followed them? They'd be dead for sure. Matt didn't take too kindly to people who abandoned ship. Maybe they should just turn back.

But Nikki, Nikki wouldn't do that. She was set on leaving, and she was too stubborn to do anything else. Too proud to turn around. She had it all planned out in her head; the two of them would go to Florida, each of them getting an easy, well-paying job, finding the love of their lives, and having a perfect family with perfect children living inside their perfect beach mansion.

A perfect fantasy.

Brie was more realistic. They'd be lucky to find a job at all, let alone a good one. Brie wouldn't find anyone she liked remotely, and Nikki would sleep around with the richest guys she could find, hoping one of them would take a liking to her. None of them would, and the two of them would end up living in Nikki's car, eventually turning to crime with death staring them in the face.

It would be exactly like Chicago, but sunnier.

But Nikki had her heart set on moving to Florida, and she wouldn't take no for an answer. In the end, she had told Brie that she was going whether she wanted to come along or not, and Brie had finally cracked and agreed to go too. Like she always did. Agreed to what Nikki wanted because it was easier than trying to argue with her.

She sighed again, louder this time. Who knew, maybe life would be better in Florida. Maybe they really would get good jobs and find good guys and live in good houses with good children.

It began to rain, and the reality hit her again.

They'd have bad jobs, sleep with bad guys, live in bad apartments with no kids.


	12. Chapter 12

**Another update which is like a million years late! Thank you to all of you for sticking with this story, I really am so so so sorry I haven't updated. I'm going to try update a lot more now. I'm sick as a dog at the moment, which sucks for me, but is good for you guys, because you'll finally start getting more frequent updates! **

**There's nothing from any of Matt's gang in this one, but don't worry; they'll be back soon! **

**In reply to the reviews: **

**Guest: Patience is a virtue. I'm sorry, but they're not going to get together like straight away. It's not love at first sight or whatever, because I'm a strong believer that that kind of shit doesn't exist. They'll get together in the end, but it's going to be a bumpy road to get there. Remember her brother killed his brother, so things aren't going to exactly go smoothly.**

**Maashmellow: you're actually the sweetest; I love you to pieces! Yeah, that chapter was pretty much filler, I just needed a way to get rid of Nikki and Brie because they were annoying me; both in the story and in real life. (All the total divas shit, Brie's absolutely atrocious acting etc.) it's hard to write a character that you don't like, so I pretty much just took them out of the story. The next few chapters are kind of all filler, but there's something really big coming along soon enough.**

**jcott3: God, you made me laugh so hard with the Bella twins bit. I'm currently hating both of them so much- if Brie screams one more time I will end up stabbing someone, and Nikki's just being Nikki- so I just wrote them out of the story. Can't say we can rely on Phil to be very appreciative of Aj just yet, but later on he hopefully will. **

**AddictedFanfiction: thank you so much! I'll hopefully be updating more frequently now, and I'm glad you understand how hard it is. A lot of people (I'm guilty of this unfortunately) kind of forget that the writer is a real person with a real life, and just expects them to have a lot of free time on their hands. It was my youngest brother's communion on Saturday, so we had a lot of family down, and my cousins doing work experience at the moment, so she's staying with us. Again, thank you for your review, I love you.**

**Thank you to everyone who favourited, followed & reviewed! I love you all. 3**

**Here's chapter twelve! Tell me what you think of it!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

"You know you do have to go back some time," It was Roman who spoke. He was, along with Dean and Seth, sitting on Dean's couch in the living room.

"Why?" Seth's voice was quiet, but the force was still there. He didn't even look up when he said it; his eyes remained focus on an imaginary spot on the floor.

"Well, he's your brother, Seth, and he's taken care of you all these years," Roman spoke softly, cautiously, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

Seth scoffed. "Taken care of me? Yeah, that's why I'm part of a gang, and going around trying to shoot people,"

Roman and Dean exchanged a quick glance. This was the first time Seth had spoken about the whole Matt incident; they were kind of hoping he'd never bring it up.

When it became obvious neither Roman nor Dean was going to say anything, Seth spoke up again. "I've heard you guys talking about it as well, so don't pretend you think he's a good brother or anything,"

"Look, you're right, Seth." It was Dean finally broke the awkward silence. "He's not a good brother, all right? He's an awful brother, terrible. But he's still your brother. And that's something. And you can deny it all you want, but you love him, Seth, and what if he dies or something? You really want the last thing you said to him to be 'I hate you'." Seth looked up at him, and Dean gained confidence. "I mean, look at John, he was a shit brother as well, and you're still pretty shook up from his death,"

It had been the wrong thing to say, and everyone in the room knew it as soon as the words left Dean's mouth. Seth stood up and headed to Dean's room. Roman shot Dean a quick glare before following him. Dean barely had time to mentally shoot himself before Seth appeared again, duffel bag in tow.

"I'm leaving," was all he said, his voice icy cold.

"Seth..."

"Seth, wait,"

But all they got in return was a door slammed.

* * *

Phil returned back to the apartment around half ten. It was empty apart from Aj, who was watching TV. He sighed. Usually the apartment would be pretty much full, from Dean and Roman practically living there, or Maryse and Mike making out on the couch, which always disgusted him, but suddenly he missed. Not the making out of course. Just the company.

But he hadn't seen or heard from Maryse and Mike since they abandoned them in the fight, and Dean and Roman had vanished from his life as soon as Seth had. It was weird how they'd only ever hung out with him because of Seth. Fuck, Seth.

"Did Seth come back?" He would've killed himself if anyone heard how desperate his voice sounded.

"No. Dean came, though. Got Seth's stuff." Aj didn't even look up to him when she was talking, and for some reason that made him mad. Like, really mad. Maybe it was just the fact that everyone was leaving him and there was nothing he could do to stop it, but he needed to take his anger out on someone and Aj was just there.

"Who said you could leave your room anyway?"

She was completely shocked, her face showed hurt, and for a second he actually felt kind of guilty, before he remembered who she was. Matt and Jeff's little sister. The hurt vanished from her face almost immediately, and she stood, her eyes never leaving him, her face hard and defiant, and walked swiftly to her room, slamming the door behind her. Bitch.

He sat down on the couch, and watched a comedy, trying to fill the empty feeling that was growing inside him.

* * *

"What the fuck were you thinking? Bringing up John like that? For fuck's sake, Dean, you know as good as anyone, that you should not do that," Roman was angry, angrier than Dean had ever seen him, except after John's death. His fault both times.

"You think I don't know that? I feel bad enough already, stop trying to make it worse," Dean didn't even look up at him when he was talking.

"Look, Dean, I get it, okay? I get you feel guilty about John and-"

"You shut the fuck up right now. Never mention that again, or I swear, Roman, friend or not, I will cut your fucking throat out!" Dean had stood up from the couch, and he was roaring now, screaming.

"Look, Dean, calm down-"

"You calm down! Get out of my house! You can't come in here and act all perfect, just get out! Get out!" Tears of anger, pure and utter white hot fury, entered Dean's eyes, and Roman slowly made his way to the door.

"Dean, Dean, chill out, man,"

"Just go!"

Roman sighed loudly, but he left, his guilt settling down inside him. He knew deep down it wasn't his fault, but he still hated himself for it. Watching Seth and Dean completely break down, it killed him, his two best friends, he'd known them since they were kids, and here they were, mere fragments of people, broken beyond repair.

It was then he decided to hate Phil.

* * *

"Lay? 'Chelle?" Seth Rollins banged his palm against the old wooden door of their apartment, shouting loudly. Their neighbours had told him to 'please be quiet' a couple of seconds ago, but he needed somewhere to stay, and he knew Michelle and Layla were in there; he could hear the TV through the thin door.

Which meant they were ignoring him.

He sighed, and banged again, louder this time. Phil had probably told them not to let him, to try and force him to come back. It was something he would do. Or maybe it was Dean. Anger seethed through his veins at the thought of him. His supposed best friend, who'd always been there, turning on him like that. Saying John wasn't a great brother.

John was a great brother. He always stood up for Seth to Phil, and he always made him laugh. He could turn serious situations into fun ones, make it seem like danger wasn't constantly lurking. He was a great brother, the best brother anyone could ask for.

"Layla, let me in!" His voice cracked slightly. "Please," He needed somewhere to stay, he needed for someone to tell him everything was going to be okay, he needed someone to make him laugh. He needed John.

But he couldn't fucking have him.

Fury rushed through his blood, as he crashed his whole body weight against the door.

John was gone, and never coming back.

Bang.

_Phil didn't even care anymore._

Bang.

_Neither did Dean or Roman._

Bang.

_"John was a shit brother as well"_

Bang.

_"John was a shit brother"_

Bang.

_"Shit brother"_

Bang.

He eventually feel into unconsciousness, and collapsed in a heap outside the door.


	13. Chapter 13

**Two reviews in two nights! I'm finally getting back on track with this story. I kind of realise now I've lost a lot of you guys' interest in this story due to my long absence, but hopefully a few quick updates will get us back to normal. Admittedly the last chapter wasn't great, but I'm back now, and updates will be frequent.**

**In reply to the reviews:**

**AddictedFanfiction: First off, let me just say, thank you so, so, so, so much for sticking with this story, and still reviewing after I was gone for so long. Not to put down anyone else or anything, but I'm really grateful to people, like you, who find the time and effort to review in like every chapter; it really encourages me to write more. Even if you just say something like 'good chapter' or whatever. Secondly, I'm afraid you don't get to find out why Layla and Michelle were ignoring Seth, but you do next chapter, so hang in there. Again, thank you so much, I love you. 3**

**Maashmellow: Yeah, Seth's really getting a hard time of it at the moment, and Aj and Phil are as well. They just can't seem to catch a break. There's going to he shit going down when the truth comes out, but it probably won't come out for a while. Roman's a pretty trustworthy guy, so he won't tell unless he feels he has to. And, I know, Maryse and Miz are actually the cutest. I've kind of written them out if this story; there was too many characters kind of just floating around, and I wasn't doing them any justice, so I just wrote them out.**

**Jcott3: Yep, Dean really fucked things up bad there, but hopefully they'll find a way to mend their friendship. (Might be hard, though, due to things coming in the next couple of chapters), and poor Roman's kind of stuck in the middle, but Seth's pretty much **

**picked his side for him. Roman now hating Phil will be a key part to this story later on, so I'm glad you picked up on that. And, yep, they're falling apart at the seams.**

**Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited & reviewed! I love you all! 3**

**Here's chapter twelve! Tell me what you think of it!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

Aj woke up early the next morning, feeling like complete and utter shit. She couldn't stop thinking about what Phil had said. It wasn't so much what he said that surprised her- she'd known he was an absolute dick from the moment she laid eyes on him-, but she was surprised at how much it had affected her.

What had she expected; just because they shared one stupid moment together meant he would set her free or something? She almost laughed at how stupid she'd been. Why would anything have changed? He'd turned to her in his moment of need, and she had been there, supported him, how idiotic of her.

Now he didn't need her anymore, so things could go back to the way they were.

Well, she wasn't going to make that mistake again. If he wanted to be a hostile ignorant asshole, that was fine with her. She didn't care. It didn't affect her in the slightest. But the next time Seth left or something else went horribly wrong, she wasn't going to help him. She'd stay in her room like he told her to.

A slight rumble from her stomach reminded her how hungry she was. Phil had 'forgotten' to drop in dinner to her last night, and she wasn't going to go out and face him. Not last night. She wouldn't let him see how much he'd affected her. But now, now was different. Now, she was going to show him that she didn't care what he said, that she'd barely even heard him.

She exited her room, and scanned the area quickly. No sign of him. Making her way to the kitchen, she picked up the TV remote, and switched it on. Two and a Half Men was playing. She smiled slightly. She could use some comedy in her life right now.

She grabbed a couple of slices of white bread, and put them in the toaster. It was weird how everything felt so familiar. Only two weeks she'd been here, and it was starting to feel like home. She shivered.

This was not her home. And it never would be.

* * *

Jeff Hardy stumbled across the deserted street, wondering where the fuck he was and how the fuck he'd got there. He'd gone out with Randy last night, to have a couple of drinks to celebrate their breakthrough, but that was the last thing he could remember.

His head felt like it was about to split in two, and his whole body seemed to have been rolled over with a car. All his muscles ached, and he wanted nothing more to fall asleep and never wake up.

But he had to keep going. He had to get home. He had to get Aj back. He took a deep breath, and tried to bring back memories of last night, but they were gone; nowhere to be found. He cursed under his breath, and vowed never to go out drinking with Randy again; a promise he knew he'd break before he even thought of it.

He walked down the street again, looking for someone, for something, for a sign that there was life in this seemingly uninhabited place. He looked around. Dim street lamps eerily lit up the pavement, as he stumbled along. Every step hurt his head, and eventually he stopped and just stood there, trying to figure out when every thing had gone wrong.

And then they were on top of him. Dark, dark figures, punching him, kicking him, beating the holy shit out of him. He didn't even try to fight back. He knew it was useless, and besides, unconsciousness would be a nice relief.

But it wouldn't come. All he felt was pain. Pain, as they bust open his lip, blood gushing out from it; he could taste it in his mouth. Pain, as they kicked his ribs, hard, possibly even breaking one. Pain, as they stomped a mud hole into his side.

And then relief, as a final kick to the head made everything turn black

* * *

Layla El stood on the inside of her apartment door, staring out the peephole. She was trying to make out where Seth was, if he was still there, but it was too dark. She couldn't see anything. She sighed to herself.

If she was being completely honest she felt really bad. She knew what it was like to break down inside, and she would've gave anything to have someone help her back then when she had been struggling so hard. But she couldn't face Seth.

Not after what she'd just realised. She was just like Matt, a murderer, and John was the innocent guy, simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Seth, Seth represented the guy's family; his kids, his wife, his siblings. Not to mention how she was actually worse than Matt. She'd killed the innocent, Matt had just killed John.

But, still, if it hadn't been for Michelle glaring at her every time she glanced over at the door, she would've let Seth in by now. Listening to his voice begging, choked with tears, she couldn't handle it. But here she was, Michelle asleep, nothing stopping her from opening the door except herself, and she couldn't do it. She couldn't help Seth, a friend, in his moment of need. Just like the selfish bitch she was.

She sighed. Seth had stopped trying to break the door down many hours ago, but she knew he was still there. He had nowhere else to go. He was fighting with Phil, Dean and Roman, and Maryse and Mike had disappeared, never to be seen again. Traitors.

She took a glance towards Michelle's room again, and tried to make a decision. He needed to be let in. She could just let him in. She had to let him in. So why couldn't she fucking open the door?

She looked out of the peephole again, trying desperately to see anything, when a horrible thought creeped it's way into her mind. What if Seth was gone? What if he'd seen no other option? What if he'd gone to the river, and done what she'd tried to do so many times? What if he'd climbed a building and jumped off?

It was with the image of Seth's dead body on the pavement that made her finally open the door.


	14. Chapter 14

**Finally getting back into the swing of things now. It's been like four updates just this week, and I'm trying to stay up to date with school work, because after next week, it's a week of summer tests, but then it's the holidays so I'm holding on for that.**

**In reply to the reviews: **

**Maashmellow: I know, poor Seth was like completely abandoned, but she opened it, and you find out in this chapter why she wasn't opening it in the first place. And, yeah, Team Phil's not looking too great right now, whilst Team Matt is patching up and ready for another fight. But, with the departure of the Bella twins, and Jeff and Matt's internal conflict, it'll be hard to tell which gang is actually the stronger.**

**LeCrazz: don't worry about, God, you review on like nearly every chapter. I'm surprised when I get one review to be honest, because when I put into perspective: one person read my story, and thought it was good enough to follow/favourite/review, and they thought it was good enough to emotionally invest themselves in it. No Aj/Punk confrontation here, but plenty to come later on.**

**jcott3: You find out here what happens to Jeff, and Seth, who by the way is NOT dead. I'll probably end up killing off a character or two, but I don't know if I could find it in my heart to kill Seth, so he'll probably be one of the few with a happy ending. Aj and Punk will probably live, but I can't guarantee them ending up together(I'm sorry, I'm a bitch, please don't hate me). Aj's just in a bad mood right now, which is obviously understandable, but this will lead to confrontation between her and Punk later on.**

**AddictedFanfiction: You're actually the cutest! I love replying to reviews, I love the feeling that you're real people who care enough about this story to take time out of your day to write a review, and it's really important to me that I take the time to respond to them. Matt's reaction next chapter, but he's more pissed at himself than them, and he's got bigger things on his mind. **

**Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed! It means the world to me! 3**

**Here's chapter fourteen! Tell me what you think!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

Jeff Hardy finally came round to the sound of his mobile ringing. Between wincing from the pain pulsing through his body, and trying to figure out where the hell his phone was, it occurred to him that it was weird how the attackers hadn't taken his phone. Sure, it wasn't exactly state of the art, but if he was going to mug someone, he would have at least taken their phone.

Which meant they hadn't been muggers after all.

He eventually located his phone on the side of the road next to him, which was miraculously still ringing, sending a searing pain through his skull every time it did. He tried to reach over to it, but his left arm hurt like a mother, and it was almost impossible to even move.

Groaning to himself, he managed to sit up slightly and shuffle over towards his phone, which had stopped ringing, but still, he realised it could be his ticket back home. Reaching out with his right hand, he managed to reach out and grab it, his whole body protesting against the movement.

He stared at the screen for a moment before switching it on. The light blinded him at first, and made his head spin, but after a couple of seconds he got used to it. Staring up at the starry sky, he pulled himself up into a sitting position, his breathing heavy and his muscles aching.

Leaning back against an old brick wall, he began writing a text.

Come help me. Don't know where I am. Randy might.

He knew it was vague and probably wouldn't help Matt find him, but it was a start, and at least Matt wouldn't think he was dead or whatever. He decided to leave out the part about the attack. That would just make Matt worry even more.

He clicked send, and sleep soon conquered him.

* * *

Michelle McCool woke up to the sound of wailing in her apartment. Loud, banshee-like screaming echoing around the walls of the small dwelling. Glancing over at Layla's empty bed, she figured the other girl had gave in and let Seth inside. She never did have good will power.

Making her way out to the kitchen/living room, she noticed Seth on the couch, his body writhing as if he was in severe pain. It reminded her of someone being tortured, he looked as if he was dying.

Then again, reliving John's final moments probably was torture for Seth. Watching your brother die; she couldn't even imagine. Seth screamed again, causing Michelle to jump, and she spilled some of her freshly made coffee on her arm. She silently cursed Layla as she wiped it off.

She liked Seth, she really did; he was like a little brother to her, but having him sleep with them every night was going to be tedious. She struggled atrociously with sleep as it was already, and Seth's screaming every few minutes wasn't going to help her. She could already hear the neighbours complaining as well, like the bitchy bunch they were. One more complaint and her and Layla were gone.

Not to even mention how mad Phil would be. He had demanded that none of them let Seth in after he found out he'd left Dean's place. A way to force Seth to go back home, but it hadn't worked. Layla had given in.

She sighed as she realised Layla definitely wasn't here. She'd probably ran off somewhere, to Dean's or someone's, so that she'd be able to sleep, leaving Michelle alone to deal with Seth. Like the little bitch she was, Michelle thought how annoying and selfish Layla could be, and then instantly felt bad. Layla was her best friend, basically a sister to her, and she trusted her more than anything.

But still, letting Seth in and then leaving was a selfish thing to do.

But Michelle was used to it by now. Layla would do something completely and utterly stupid, then come crying to Michelle when she didn't like the outcome, and Michelle always, always had to pick up the pieces.

Take when the two of them were living in New York, for example. Michelle had pleaded, begged with Layla not to join the gang, she'd known they were bad news from the start. Did Layla listen? No. Then, when Layla told her she was going out that night, Michelle had tried everything to persuade her not to go. Did Layla listen then? No. Then, who had Layla come weeping to after she realised what she'd done? Michelle. The very same Michelle she hadn't listened to in the first place.

Michelle jumped again, as Seth's screams brought her back to reality.

* * *

Phil Brooks sat on a couch in his living room, surrounded by Dean, Roman and Layla. He'd called them over to discuss everything, but he wasn't sure how to start.

"So, is there a reason for this, or do you just like waking people up in the middle of the night?" It was Dean who spoke. Phil shot him a quick glare, but other than that, did not respond.

"They know where we are. It's just a matter of time before they come attack us again, and we can't let them. It's no good just defending all the time, we gotta do some of the attacking," Phil spoke slowly and deliberately, making sure they understood.

"Okay, sure, whatever. Still failing to see why you couldn't have told us in the day," Dean again. Phil resisted the urge to punch him in the face.

"And what about Seth and Michelle?" Layla's voice addressed the elephant in the room.

"Well, since you decided to let Seth in after I precisely told you not to, I had-"

Layla rolled her eyes. "You want him to be on the streets?" Her question was quiet, and she said it with half a smile, but the force was still there, the message was crystal clear.

"Anyway," Phil said, turning away from Layla. "You can tell Michelle the plan later. And as for Seth, he's not coming."

"No," Dean and Roman said, at exactly the same time, and Layla nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do you want your best friend to be a fucking murderer?" Phil's voice as cold, and the authority in it made it seem like he was shouting instead of barely talking.

"No. No, I'm not going behind his ba-" Roman began, but Phil cut him off.

"I think you're forgetting I'm not the only one he walked out on." Phil said, as he stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen. His voice had been quiet, but icy, and the message was there, standing tall.

There was silence for a moment as the three of them considered it.

"Alright, I'll do it, and I say Michelle will as well. But only if you make sure Seth doesn't find out," Layla said. "I don't want him turning on me as well, then he'll have nowhere to stay,"

Dean gave her a cold stare, and then proceeded to fix his eyes on an imaginary spot on the floor. "Seth won't find out." Phil said from the kitchen. "Definitely,"

"Okay, I'm in," Dean was probably the most surprised of all of them when the words came out of his mouth. But he knew it was the right thing to do. There was no way Phil was going to let Seth fight, and if he had the choice Dean knew Seth would want him to fight. At least he hoped he would.

Roman was the last to agree, with a quiet 'I'll fight,' which he knew would leave him feeling guilty for the rest of his life, but he had to do this. And Seth wouldn't find out anyway. Everything would be fine.

What Seth didn't know wouldn't hurt him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Another update this week! Hoping to get a good few updates in before my summer tests start in a week, because I'll definitely not be able to update much then. Not gonna lie, this chapter is short, and kind of shitty, but I tried re-writing it a few times, and it just wasn't working.**

**In reply to the reviews: **

**LeCrazz: thank you so much, you're actually the cutest! **

**Maashmellow: Oh God, well, it's coming, definitely, but probably not for a while. She's not the kind to just fuck guys straight away, and the hate between the two families kind of makes things awkward. But there's a cute (if slightly cheesy, I kind of cringed writing it) moment at the end of this chapter! Thank you!**

**AddictedFanfiction: first off, I know, I saw the last day I had like eighty, and I was like oh my god, if I do reach a hundred I'll probably have a shit attack. And thank you, as I said before Seth will probably- can't guarantee anything I'm afraid- have one of the few happy endings in this, because I don't have the heart to make him suffer anymore than he already has. Again, thank you so much! **

**Tobesaved: Thank You! **

**Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited & reviewed! It means the world to me! 3**

**Here's chapter 15! Tell me what you think of it!**

**Ciara x**

* * *

Two nights. Two nights until they would attack. Two nights until they would break in. Two nights until they would get Aj back. He should be happy, relieved, excited. But all Matt felt was worried. And not about what anyone would expect either.

He wasn't worried if the plan would work or not (he knew for a fact it would, he'd thought of absolutely everything this time), he wasn't worried that someone would get hurt, he wasn't worried that Seth would flip out again and succeed in killing him this time.

No, he was worried Aj wouldn't accept him as her brother anymore.

It had been nearly two weeks since they had first taken her, and he was already struggling to remember what she looked like. They didn't have many pictures around the place; none of them really saw the point. Or else he just didn't see the point, and forced the others into following suit.

Fuck's sake, why couldn't he stop feeling so guilty about everything?

To make matters even worse, Nikki and Brie had gone missing; skipped town or whatever. He should've never let them be a part of the gang in the first place; he should've known he couldn't trust them. A cold feeling went down his spine as he realised they could've easily gone to Phil, but relief came when he realised they were barely informed about the plan.

To be honest, he didn't even have time right now to hunt them down and hurt them, but once they got Aj back, once they beat Phil's gang once and for all, then, then he would find them, and make them pay. Make them pay for walking out. Make them pay for not caring enough to stay. Make them pay for abandoning them in the middle of a fucking war.

But that would have to wait. Aj was the priority now, and he would do anything and everything to get her back. He would fight anyone who got in his way. He would break down any barricade; nothing could stop him. A beep from his phone brought him back to reality. Quickly pulling it out and checking his messages, he felt dread run down the back of his neck.

Come help me. Don't know where I am. Randy might.

It was from Jeff. The stupid fucker had gone and gotten himself pissed drunk, then wandered off and got lost. Maybe Phil was right, maybe Jeff was turning into their father. But no, Jeff wouldn't do that, Jeff knew first hand how terrible alcoholics could be, and he would never let himself become one.

But, still, just to be safe, he'd keep Jeff from going out with Randy anymore. Sighing loudly to himself and mentally cursing the universe and everybody in it, he dialled Randy's number and waited. He should've been far more worried than he was, but he was actually finding things okay.

He'd get Jeff back. He'd get Aj back. They'd be okay.

* * *

"I don't know if we should fight or not," Roman said, from Dean's couch, as Dean returned to the apartment with pizza. "It just feels kind of wrong without Seth,"

Dean sat down next to him. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Feels like we're betraying him, going behind his back, or whatever."

Roman took a slice of pizza. "You think we should fight anyway?"

"Well, look at it this way. Phil's not going to let Seth fight. If you were Seth, wouldn't you want your friends to avenge your brother for you?"

"I 'spose," Roman shrugged. "Still, though, I don't like the idea of fighting without Seth in a gang we wouldn't even be in if it weren't for him. It's like we're picking Phil over Seth, or whatever, I don't know, it just feels wrong,"

"Well, I'm fighting," Dean said. "We've spent too much time fighting within the gang, we've forgotten who we're actually meant to be fighting."

Roman nodded, and Dean spoke again, but in a much quieter voice. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to blow up like I did, I was just angry about Phil and Seth and John," Dean said the last name as if it physically hurt him. "I just think it'd be best if we didn't bring that up again,"

He phrased the last part like a suggestion, but Roman had known him long enough to know he was deadly serious. He still didn't understand how Dean had betrayed them, or why, but he tried not to think about it. Thinking about it would only lead to him telling someone about it, and then all hell would break loose. No, it was better to keep some things to yourself.

Dean had felt slightly better after he first told Roman, but now all he felt was remorse. Not only did he have to worry about Matt and Jeff letting the others know, now he had to make sure Roman didn't let something slip. And he knew Roman wanted to talk about it; wanted to find out all the rest of the details. But Dean just didn't need to be reminded of it.

It was a sad world, Roman thought, when you couldn't even trust your best friend. When the only person you could whole-heartedly rely on was yourself, and sometimes, not even them. God, when had everything become so fucked up?

Lies piled up, and they were all tangled on a web of them.

* * *

Aj hadn't left her room since their confrontation, and Phil was beginning to notice. He should've felt happy, good, he should've been thankful that he'd restored a bit of authority into their relationship; he should've been happy he'd shown her who was boss. But, if anything, he just felt very lonely. Plus, it kind of felt like she was mocking him, not following his orders.

He came close to opening her door a few times, but the image of John lying in that alleyway was all he needed to stop him. He wondered about what Seth said a few times; did he actually care about John anymore? Sometimes he just wanted to hurt Matt, not because of John, but because he was Matt.

And he had kidnapped Aj to get revenge, but it hadn't really worked out that well. Firstly, she was different to them, and he had to frequently remind him that this was Matt and Jeff's sister. And secondly, he kind of respected her now. He hadn't once heard her cry, even though she must have been longing to several times. And despite the fact that Dean said her fear was keeping her here, the only time he'd seen her look visibly scared was when Seth had held a gun to her head.

A pang came in his heart at that memory. He realised now, he didn't just not want Seth to kill her; he hadn't wanted her to die. And he still didn't. Mentally shooting himself for being so weak, he realised now that his feelings had gotten the better of him. Seth had been right; he didn't want to kill Aj.

But not because she was hot. Because she was beautiful.


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh my God, so so so so sorry! I haven't updated in ages, I know, and you probably all hate me, but I actually have good reasons. I had a swimming gala on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and our summer tests have started this week, so I'm stressed as fuck right now. Also, I have written another story, an ambrollins one called amnesia, based on the song by five seconds of summer, so check it out, I'll be posting it later.**

**Not replying to reviews this chapter because they were so long ago that I'd feel weird, and for the simple fact that I literally do not have time.**

**This chapter is basically just a build up for the next chapter, which is going to big, so stay tuned! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited & followed! 3 It means the world to me! Tell me what you think of this chapter.**

**Ciara x**

* * *

"So tonight we're all going to Matt and Jeff's place, and attacking them. Phil said we can't be doing all the defending, we gotta be doing some of the attacking. So we're meeting at Phil's at half ten, and then going over to Matt's." Layla explained to Michelle in a hushed voice. Seth was currently having a shower, but she still didn't want to risk him overhearing.

"But why can't Seth come? I don't get it," Michelle was suffering from a severe lack of sleep, and she was still kind of pissed at Layla. Sure, Layla had told her why she'd left- Phil had called her and told her to come over- but, still, it was stupid of Layla to let Seth in in the first place.

"Because Phil doesn't want him to. Said he doesn't want his brother to be a murderer,"

"Does he want Seth to never talk to any of us again?"

"He won't find out," Layla said, glancing towards the bathroom, where the sound of running water still ran.

"I still don't see how Roman and Dean agreed to this," Michelle said, taking a sip from her glass of water.

"Well, they did," Layla said with a shrug. "And you have to too, 'cos I already told Phil you would,"

Michelle raised an eyebrow. "Making decisions for me, are you?"

Layla rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Come on, 'Chelle, you're really going to leave me be the only girl,"

Michelle laughed slightly despite of herself, and headed out of the kitchen into the living room. "Fine, fine, I guess I can't expect you to be the only representative of the female gender,"

"I knew you'd come around." Layla smiled, and joined Michelle on the couch. "It's just me and you now, 'Chelle, now that the skank's ran off with her boyfriend," Layla gave a snort of disgust.

"Ha," Michelle said. "Like we needed that slut anyway,"

"So true," Layla grinned.

And for a second it was just like old times. Back in high school, bitching about anyone and everyone, ruling the school. And then reality hit, and they simultaneously remembered everything.

* * *

"Fuck, I don't know, man," Randy said down the phone, in reply to Matt's question. "We just went to Scannel's, drank a bit. Round half two, I left but Jeff said he wanted to stay a while longer so-"

"And you let him?" Matt was beyond pissed with Randy right now.

"Well, yeah. He's a grown man, he's capable of making his own decisions,"

Matt sighed loudly down the phone. "How drunk was he?"

"When I left, he was okay. Not too bad. Like, drunk, obviously, but capable of finding his way home,"

"Half two, though," Matt said worriedly. "He didn't text me 'til five,"

"We'll find him, Matt, don't-"

"I swear to God, Randy, if you say don't worry one more time, I will rip your fucking throat out,"

"Okay, sorry, just trying to help," Randy sighed, and for a couple of seconds they were both silent, the quiet crinkling of static the only noise either of them could hear.

"Sorry, man, it's just... I dunno, it's fucked up, dude,"

"Yeah," was all Randy could say in reply. "Yeah, it is,"

Silence ensued again, when the two of them both wondered how on earth everything could have gotten this bad. Where did everything go wrong?

Randy broke the silence. "I'll come over. We'll drive around the streets near Scannel's, if he's so drunk he can't remember where he is, he most likely didn't go too far,"

"Okay,"

"We'll find him, Matt. And then tomorrow night, we'll get Aj back."

"Tomorrow night we'll make them pay."

* * *

"Fuck, I don't think I can do this, Rome," Dean and Roman were both in Dean's apartment, getting ready to leave. They had spent the whole day there, just sitting around and talking- mostly about Seth. It had felt weird, though, a kind of ominous feeling.

Dean needed Roman to reassure him, to tell him everything would be fine, and Roman knew that. But he couldn't lie anymore, he couldn't pretend everything was okay. "I know," was all he said in reply, two quiet words that wouldn't have been heard if the apartment hadn't been so eerily silent.

"But we've got to, right?" Dean said, glancing up at him. "Gotta do it for Seth,"

"You think Seth wants his best friends to be murderers?" Roman asked, more to himself than Dean.

"I think Seth wants to avenge his brother, I don't think he cares about anything else," Dean replied in a somewhat hollow voice.

"Yeah, well..." Roman's voice trailed off into nothingness. Dean had made a wonderful point and they both knew it.

"You ready?" Dean asked, and the two of them headed for the door, regret and remorse following them out. Dean turned and switched off the lights, taking a quick glance around the roommate.

It was the last time he ever looked at his apartment.

* * *

Aj and Phil sat on opposite ends of the couch in complete silence, the commercials from the TV the only noise. It had been the first time Phil had seen her out of her room since their confrontation, and he made the choice to watch the TV with her. She hadn't even glanced in his direction.

He sighed slightly to himself. What had he expected anyway? That she would somehow magically fall in love with the guy who had kidnapped her, the guy who had organised an attack on her brother, the guy who'd been so damn awful, he'd driven away his own brother away. He nearly scoffed at the thought. He'd been stupid to even hope that a girl like Aj might have ever liked a guy like him.

And, besides, he had more important stuff to be worried about.

In less than three hours, Dean, roman, Layla and Michelle would come over, and the five of them would drive over to Matt and Jeff's apartment to attack. He didn't need to worry about Jeff, who was arguably the best fighter out of all of them, he'd already ensured that Jeff was taken out. And, besides, Jeff was drinking himself half to death anyway.

He found it weird, sometimes, that Jeff would ever touch drink again after everything he'd learnt from his father. Phil, whose mother had been just as bad, if not worse, than Jeff's dad, had never touched a drink in his life. He'd learned first hand how cruel and terrible alcoholics could be, and he would never become one.

Of course, he was cruel and terrible without the drink, but that couldn't be helped.

He'd heard a story once, of two brothers whose dad was a raging alcoholic. One grew up to be successful businessman who never drank. The other became a drunk just as bad as his father. When asked why he didn't drink, the first brother said he'd seen what it had done to his father, and he couldn't bring himself to try it. When asked why he drank so much, the second brother replied that he'd learned to drink on his father's knee.

That was him. Him and Jeff. It was weird how similar their two families were. It was also weird to think of himself as the good brother, the successful one, but he'd never drank, never smoked and never done drugs in his life. And he was proud of that. He laughed slightly, and then sighed under his breath, slightly ashamed.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find it in himself to feel sorry for Jeff.


End file.
